Persona 3: Chaos Edition
by Sirhorsealot
Summary: It has been five years since Minato Arisato became the great seal. In this time, Elizabeth has been looking for a way to free him from his everlasting servitude. With the power of bonds, she is able to free him and create a plan to defeat Erebus for good. But this comes at a price; he must relive his journey. And this time, chaos ensues. (Odd events here; you have been warned :3)
1. So it Begins

1999

Full Moon

* * *

Sharp green shadows dripped from the street's usual lights, though they no longer projected that kind and warm luminosity. A small boy, no more than six, clamored onto the deserted path. His blue hair appeared almost black in the eerie moonlight, and his eyes seemed blind to the various puddles of lukewarm blood dotting the road. He currently stood on a bridge, soulless grey gaze fixated on nothing in particular. In fact, one could believe that he was deaf to the conflict on the bridge. A strange woman made of cogs and gears flipped and fired without hesitation. A shadowy figure under a dark cloak did it's best to evade her attacks, but seemed to be struck a multitude of times. The lone boy wandered closer. The figure was panting now, cowering like some feral animal.

"I'll end it...!" the woman cried with intense conviction. Her gun-arms spun once, and aimed to fire what seemed like the finishing blow. However, the figure was faster. It sprang forward with unprecedented speed directly into the path of the boy. Lifting it's head, a metal face with a bird-like appearance could be made out, two blank holes concealing a mass of shadow in the form of a humanoid creature.

"Forgive me..." It spoke in a broken tongue, clipped and distorted. For the first time since his family's death earlier that night, the young boy looked up with his heartless eyes and saw it. Death. The darkness was soon swirling around him, infiltrating every inch of his being. He knew, that night, that he'd escaped the fury of Death. But it would be back for him.

It always came back.

With that, he dropped to his knees and faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

April Seventh, 2009

Next full moon in: 3 days

* * *

"Iwatodai."

He heard the conductor announce. As he maintained his position in front of the window, he briefly saw a sapphire blue butterfly in his mind's eye, glowing faintly with a brilliant radiance. He couldn't see much out the window, as shadow blocked his vision of anything he would've normally been able to spot. He sighed lightly.

"Iwatodai, Iwatodai."

That was the next stop. The subway train slowed to a halt, it's doors opening not only to release some of it's captives, but to allow more people to pour in without a single complaint. He maintained his composure, making sure not to miss a step corresponding with his music. For some reason, he remembered the lyrics and his position vividly. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, as if by muscle memory, and began to study it. It had the directions to his old dorm, which he hadn't seen in five years.

 _Burn my d-_

His music played once more. Then, as if by some divine force, it halted. The clock displayed in the station had struck midnight. All the electronics around him shut off, the people bustling about suddenly transmogrifying into coffins and the disturbing green moonlight pouring in as if to offer it's light in place of those which had turned off. He couldn't keep down a "huh?" from himself, but he was less than surprised.

He expected this, he _anticipated_ this.

Blood dripped down the clock in a grotesque manner, causing Minato to stare blankly at it. Calming his budding nerves, he sighed in feigned boredom. He proceeded on in eerie silence, the sound of his own footsteps the only noise he could hear. As he made it outside, he took a deep breath. Same looming, dark coffins. Same nasty blood puddles. Same sickly green moonlight pouring down on him. What he remembered was spot on to a T. Following the directions, he let his legs guide him to his old, beloved dormitory, surveying the area around as he navigated through it. He noticed traffic lights that had turned off and didn't forget the absence of the warm, inviting light produced by street lamps. His footsteps echoed still as he planted one foot squarely into a blood puddle. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with the dorm he remembered so well. Without missing a beat, Minato immediately grabbed for the door handle, pulling the entrance open. Once inside, he looked around fondly. Some of his most important memories were made in this very building, alongside his irreplaceable friends. He spied the counter where the sign-in sheet was usually located, as well as the sofa, small square seats and cushiony chairs to his right and the television, which was located a ways away. He instinctively removed his headphones, forgetting for a moment just what he was supposed to be doing.

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

A little boy's voice sliced through the silence, immediately demanding all of Minato's attention. _Pharos._ He immediately said the name in his mind. He turned to face the boy, who was watching him from behind the counter with a bored posture, resting his head on his hands. He smiled, snapping his fingers. "Now, if you want to proceed, please sign your name there," He motioned to a red folder. _The contract..._ "It's a contract," he explained. With that phrase spoken, the folder flipped open, revealing the contract that Minato signed so long ago. At Minato's expression, Pharos just smiled. "Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the _usual stuff_." Minato saw no reason to argue. If these events were to happen just as they did originally, he would have to sign the contract. He grabbed the quill located beside the contract and, with shaky hands, neatly spelled out his name.

Arisato Minato

Suddenly, Pharos was standing before him and snatched away the contract. "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end." He moved the contract in front of his face and turned it, which prompted it to disappear completely. "You can't plug your ears or cover your eyes." His statement still gave Minato the creeps. He knew just how familiar Pharos was with him. After all, Pharos was actually the personification of death contained within himself. Shadows began to envelop Pharos' side of the room, and he spoke one last line. "And so it begins." His body was soon consumed by the hungry shadows, his outstretched hand last to disappear into the darkness. Just like that, he was gone.

"Who's there?!"

A flighty female voice quickly caught Minato's attention. He looked to the staircase, knowing just who he'd be meeting today. Yukari stood there, pink Gekkoukan high uniform and all. She immediately reached for a gun in her belt, panting heavily. Minato was still terrified by the sight and it's implications, and quickly found a shocked and genuinely afraid expression on his face. Her breathing growing ever rapid, she drew the gun from her belt. Thankfully, another familiar voice called out to stop her.

"Takeba! Wait!"

Yukari looked immediately relieved, and the green light dissipated to give way to the much more inviting golden light most lightbulbs produced. Standing behind her was the student council president Mitsuru Kirijo, in all her glory.

 _-read..._

His music resumed where it had left off, as if the dark hour had never happened. Yukari smiled in blatant relief and assurance as Mitsuru fixed her with a concerned, yet sympathetic stare. "I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm," she explained with her usual cool, calm demeanor.

"... Who's he?" Yukari asked.

"He's a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boy's dorm," Mitsuru explained. Minato smiled a bit at that. The ever dependable Mitsuru...

"... Is it okay for him to be here?" Yukari questioned. Minato already knew what she was referring to and had to agree, it was pretty risky taking in a transfer student when you and your classmates all combatted deadly shadows in the 25th 'hidden' hour.

"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru smiled warmly, pretending that Yukari was simply being withdrawn or too cautious. However, Minato knew better. "This is Yukari Takeba." Mitsuru motioned to Yukari, who stood beside her, "She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"... Hey," Yukari bowed slightly, obviously uncomfortable with their current situation.

"Nice to meet you," Minato said, giving Yukari a friendly smile and little wave.

"Uh... Y-yeah," Yukari nodded shyly. "Nice to meet you too..."

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest. Your room is on the second floor at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there," Mitsuru said, looking to Yukari expectantly.

"Oh... I'll show you the way. Follow me," Yukari beckoned him forward, turning to escort him to his room. Minato followed obediently, allowing Yukari to guide him up a small flight of stairs to his room on the second floor. Walking down the hallway, they finally stopped at the last door to the right of the hallway. "This is it... Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall. Oh yeah, make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it," Yukari groaned at the last sentence. Minato had already guessed that she had made that error before, and was speaking with experience. All the more reason to listen to her. "So, any questions?"

"Nope. Thanks for showing me to my room," Minato smiled again. Yukari looked a bit taken aback.

"U-uh... Yeah, don't mention it... Hey, can I ask you something?" Yukari looked unnerved, her eyes already beginning to dart about.

"Sure," Minato agreed with a nod.

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?" She meekly questioned.

"What do you mean?" Minato feigned ignorance, tilting his head to the side just a bit.

" _You know what I-_ " Yukari cut herself off. "... Never mind. It seems like you're all right. Well, I'd better get going. Good night."

"'Night," Minato mumbled after her. He chuckled to himself a bit at Yukari's early stiffness with others. He never knew why she was so awkward with him, but he didn't mind. Her later warming up to him proved that she trusted him in the end, and that was all he could ask for. He walked to his door, turning the knob to step inside. He was first greeted by a whiff of cool air, looking around. Yep, just like he remembered. Same bed, same window, same desk and same sink. Feeling pretty tired, he quickly changed into pajamas and, with a yawn, he fell into bed. Everything had been happening so quickly... Elizabeth's freeing him and his being sent to the past was all a jumble as he lay on his bed, watching the ceiling. So much had happened, it was hard to sort out. Minato sighed. That could wait for the morning, however, when his mind was clearer. He'd just reexperienced his first day on Tatsumi Port Island after five long years of isolation, so sleep dragged at him. Closing his eyes, he was asleep within minutes.


	2. First Day of School

April Seventh, 2009

Next full moon in: 2 days

* * *

Minato awoke to the peaceful sound of birdsong and the gentle morning light which, by chance, fell directly on his eyes. Blinking repeatedly, Minato sat up and stretched, giving a good yawn. He was still pretty tired, yet he felt refreshed at the same time. That's right... A lot had happened yesterday. Minato reviewed it in his head. Elizabeth freed him and sent him to the past... He hadn't the chance to contact her yet, but he figured he'd get around to it. First things first, he was starving.

He first turned to the mini fridge in his room, opening it up to find nothing inside. Of course. He hadn't put anything in there yet. Instead, he decided to sneak down to the first floor, grabbing a tiny snack as he quickly tiptoed back to his room. He took a brisk shower, drying off and assembling his uniform. As he put his uniform on, he began to hear the others stir through creaking and the sounds of moving doors. He paid them no mind, just as they did to him.

He eyed his blue hair closely. It looked like the dye was getting a bit faint. Luckily, he remembered packing more dye to keep his naturally brown hair his favorite color; navy blue. He made a mental note to update the dye tomorrow. As he waited for Yukari to give him the green light, Minato rummaged through his packed items. Inside, he found some dirty clothes he had forgotten to wash, multiple large bottles of hair dye along with his hairbrush, toothbrush and his computer. His astronomically gargantuan suit case was somehow able to fit that and plenty more, even packing his well-loved Neo Featherman figurine, his plethora of clothes, most of which he didn't even wear, and other miscellaneous items.

Admiring his own packing skills, Minato set up his laptop on his desk, plugging it into the charger he brought for it and opening it up to briefly view his screen saver. He was making one last check in the mirror when Yukari finally knocked on his door.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?" Yukari's muffled voice spoke from beyond the door.

"Yeah," Minato said, walking over to open the door for her.

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" Yukari asked cheerily. It seemed her stagnant, awkward air had evaporated, which was undoubtedly for the better. Minato nodded in response to her question.

"Good! Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. It's getting late, so... Are you ready to go?" Yukari herself seemed perfectly prepared, and Minato found it kinda nice that, although it was expected of her, she still was so friendly and open to him this morning.

"Yup, I'm ready," Minato said firmly, giving Yukari the space to lead him. He didn't quite remember exactly how to get to Gekkoukan, but he was sure that, with Yukari's guidance, he could recollect those hazy chunks of his memory.

"Okay, then let's go," Yukari grinned thankfully. They travelled to the station, catching a train to get to their school. Minato vaguely remembered his first ever train ride to Gekkoukan, and recalled that it was bright and sunny, and that Yukari was refreshingly welcoming. "So, that's it," Yukari finished explaining. The train buzzed by the buildings scattered across the island, following the tracks as they passed next to a strip of wire fence installed into the side of the tracks. "See? There it is," She pointed out, looking straight on. Minato raised his gaze to follow hers, finding his sights landing on the familiar and perhaps even foreboding high school he would be attending that year. They exited the train, passing within a heavy crowd of fellow students. Many stopped to chat with Yukari or say good morning, which Minato definitely didn't remember. He was too busy watching the school to pay it much mind, though. The chatter of students hung in the air as Yukari and Minato reached the school gates. "Well, this is it."

"We're here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School, I hope you like it," Yukari chimed, smiling and closing her eyes. They soon made their way inside the building, Yukari stopping to address Minato. "You're okay from here, right?" She inquired. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is right there to the left. And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"No, not really. Thank you, though," Minato bowed his head in respect.

"No problem! ...Hey, about last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?" Yukari pleaded. She was placing her trust with Minato, a risky move on her part. Minato nodded. "See 'ya later." With that, Yukari left to find what class she was in, leaving Minato behind to defend for himself. He already knew what he had to do, and he remembered the faculty office with surprising accuracy. He decided to wander around first though, giving those he recognized as later friends a wave or brief hello. He made his way in front of the bulletin board, searching for his name. If memory served correctly, then there should be a note for him... There. It jutted out from the neat, tidy list that had the rest of the students' names on it and revealed his class to be... Class F.

Good, that was just like he remembered. He looked around at the last school he would attend, both happy and nervous about this new beginning. He could easily mess something up, or get someone hurt. He just hoped that never happened. Swinging to the left, Minato found himself at the faculty office door. Sighing with relief, he opened the door and stepped inside. A few teachers were about, some of which he recognised. Specifically, Ms. Toriumi, his homeroom teacher and Maya on the online game Innocent Sin, approached him.

"Oh, are you the new student?"

Minato nodded. "Minato Arisato... Eleventh grade, correct? Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... In 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents-!" Ms. Toriumi read off his files before gasping at his parents' fate. Ten years ago, Minato and his family were caught in an explosion. Minato, the only one to survive, was tossed around between relatives. "I'm sorry, I've been so busy I didn't have time to read this beforehand," She apologized sincerely. "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"Nice to meet you!" Minato smiled cheesily and waved. He had long since forgiven her, especially since he got to know her better later down the line.

"Wow, such enthusiasm! Have you seen the classroom assignments yet? You're in class 2-F; that's my class," She seemed very impressed by his excitable nature, which was perfect since he was pretty friendly. "But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me." Minato trailed behind Ms. Toriumi, following her to the spacious auditorium for the Welcoming Ceremony being held. He quietly scooted into an empty spot in a middle row as a member of her homeroom, tuning out the principal's rampant droning and instead listening to the students chatting around him.

"Psst... Hey!"

A voice whispered, trying to catch his attention. Minato turned to look behind him. A male student with brown hair seemed to be asking him something. "You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. I have a question..." His voice trailed off. "Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

"I don't know," Minato replied honestly. He had always been so busy, he never had much time to get to know Yukari much at all. For all he knew, she was already spoken for.

"I see. I thought you might know... But, I guess not. ... How well do you know her?" He just wouldn't give up, would he? Minato considered his options for a brief moment.

"I hear talking," a stern teacher quieted them. "I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class..."

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!" The aforementioned scolded. The brown haired student backed off, uttering a small "sorry" as he turned to listen to the principal again. However, there were still many people talking where Minato sat.

Morning transitioned to afternoon, Minato having been reviewed on classroom rules, the school layout and other beginning school facts and must-knows that he definitely needed to refresh his memory. Minato rose from his seat in Ms. Toriumi's classroom and was about to leave when suddenly...

"'Sup, dude!?"

Junpei's familiar conceited greeting was spoken, Minato watching Junpei with a raised eyebrow. "How's it goin'?"

"You..." Minato watched him. Junpei continued on.

"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet 'ya," Junpei did a big wave, his iconic cheshire grin ever present on his face. "I transferred here when I was in eighth grade, and I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So, I wanted to say 'Hey!' See what a nice guy I am?" Yukari cut across to the two, crossing her arms at Junpei's antics."Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again." Yukari sighed.

"At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Yukari scowled, defending Minato from Junpei's abysmal need for attention.

"What? But I was just bein' friendly."

"If you say so," Yukari rolled her eyes, "Anyways, looks like we're in the same homeroom..."

"Yep! Must be fate or something," Minato grinned deviously as he spoke, watching Yukari's reaction.

"Fate? Yeah, right," She ignored his rather stupid comment, laughing just a bit. "Still, I'm a little surprised."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" Junpei piped up, looking confused. "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!" This off put Yukari as she lost her composure.

"W-what are you talking about!?" She exclaimed. "We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried... ...Hey, you didn't say anything to anyone about... _you know what_ , did you?" Minato shook his head. Of course he wouldn't, but Yukari didn't trust him as of yet. "Okay, good," Yukari seemed relieved. The whole gun incident was actually pretty comical looking back. "Seriously, don't say anything about last night." Before Minato even had the chance to respond, Junpei gasped. "Wh-what?" Yukari asked nervously.

"L-last night...?" Junpei stammered. He was much more surprised than Minato remembered, his mind delving into a controversial area.

"W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea!" Yukari gushed, a small blush creeping onto her face. "Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us!" She pressed. "Geez... I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team, but you better not start any rumors!" With that, Yukari turned promptly on her heels and stormed off.

"Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously anyway. She's so paranoid," Junpei grumbled to himself. With a hardly noticeable sigh, he resumed from where he left off. "But hey! It's your first day here and, people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!" Junpei congratulated, pumping his fist up into the air.

"Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!"

Minato decided to walk home with Junpei as he did when this all began for him, idly chatting with SEES resident dork. Minato looked around as they left, noticing many of his soon-to-be friends among those simply populating the background. The gentle spring sunlight was warm as it fell upon the two, as of to reassure Minato that this year was indeed going to be great. Of course, he needed no coaxing this time. He knew for a fact that this would be the best and worst year of school he'd ever experience. As he walked inside, Minato was greeted by a "welcome back" from Mitsuru as he noticed the usual sign-in sheet on the counter. He contemplated just signing in and retiring to his room, but first went over to greet Mitsuru properly.

"Hey," he spoke, waving his hand. Mitsuru was reading a book at the moment and tore her eyes away from her enticing literature to reply.

"Hello. I hope you had a good first day."

"I did," Minato assured her. "I hope you did too." He then signed in and called, "I'm going to my room!" as he scaled the spiral staircase to the second floor. Drowsiness dragged on him as he got ready for bed, claiming him without a second to lose as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 _Meanwhile..._

A silver haired, confident looking student walked by Mitsuru, pausing beside her.

"I'm going out for a bit," he stated. Mitsuru, so engrossed in her book, hadn't quite heard him.

"... Hm?"

"Didn't you see the newspaper? There's a lot going on," He prompted.

"I know. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome... I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but..." She trailed off.

"Yeah, right. It has to be _them_ ," He chuckled. "Otherwise, it's not worth my time."

"You have a one track mind... Will you be okay on your own? The chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can..."

He cut her off. "Don't worry. I'm just getting a little practice," He assured her. Walking off, Mitsuru sighed as he left.

"This isn't a game Akihiko..."


	3. The Velvet Room

**Hey! ^^**

 **I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. I plan to make this a long term project, but I've been feeling very motivated, so I've been pumping out chapters left and right. Please excuse my poor pacing and bad writing ^^' This is the first story I've written in multiple months, so I've gotten a little rusty, and my previous work was elementary at best. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we go. And, don't worry. I'm almost to the fun stuff, so hang in there!**

 **Don't hesitate to leave me story suggestions or criticism, as it is much appreciated. Now, back to the story!**

 **\- Edit**

 **I've decided to change the story perspective, as I've grown to dislike how it originally started. So, for those of you who've already read these chapters beforehand, I apologize.**

* * *

April Eighth, 2009

Next full moon in: 1 day

* * *

Minato opened his eyes, peering briefly at his alarm clock. He was early. Like, _super_ early. He tried going back to sleep, but after a few minutes, gave up. Instead, he thought about what he could do to pass the time and remembered his mental note to redye his hair. He set out his uniform and supplies, getting everything else ready before he started to replenish the false color. He spent a good hour at least in serene silence, redying his hair to his preferred shade of blue. During this time, he had a lot to think about. First and foremost; Elizabeth and the plan. He still hadn't contacted her, as he had been preoccupied with trying to make it through the school day and was distracted by his unending sense of nostalgia. Everything, from the people to the places, even all the way to his music, _everything_ was the same as back then. Plus, he truly loved his friends, and seeing them again warmed his isolated heart many times over. It was just too fun to _not_ spend time with them.

Elizabeth's plan still buzzed in his mind, though. _Relive your journey..._ He echoed. And, what did she mean by 'unforeseen consequences'? Would he even be able to pull it off? So many unspoken questions left unanswered... It prompted him to pick up his phone. Scrolling through the numbers, he found only Elizabeth's alongside a few of his relatives' numbers. He had forgotten that he wouldn't have any of his friends' numbers, as he hadn't made any friends at his current position in time. He pressed a few buttons and raised the phone to his ear, listening patiently to the almost soothing tone. A click was heard.

"Minato," She stated it in a playfully serious tone. He could envision her smiling mischievously, an impish glint in her eyes.

"Elizabeth," He returned the pretend serious tone. "We need to talk. Specifically, about your plan," Minato explained, popping his knuckles, which was a bad habit for him. He couldn't keep the joking tone from his voice, as it was his default and Elizabeth had humored him, but tried to sound as neutral as possible.

"Whatever about it?" Elizabeth quizzed.

"I... Okay, so, why did you send me here? I think you mentioned something about Erebus being weaker...?"

"Indeed. Erebus is simply an abundance of desire given a twisted, distorted form. It feeds off humanity's negativity and wish for death, which allows it to reform so many times over. Think of it as similar to a human electronic. It needs only to recharge before it is functional once more. As a physical manifestation of human emotions that has existed since the dawn of time, Erebus does not abide by the same rules humans do, however. Humans answer to time by giving a bit of their youth for every passing moment. Erebus doesn't have to make an exchange as such. With no youth to offer, it exists throughout time, but ot isn't the same everywhere. I regret to inform you that I myself do not know why Erebus is weaker around this time, but my siblings and I believe it is due to your onslaught against Nyx. Because you confronted Nyx, which Erebus was in the process of powering and was thus tied to, you dealt damage to Erebus as well when you attacked the Nyx avatar during your last battle." Minato nodded along. It did make sense, in a weird way.

"So, then... You mentioned consequences?" Minato was most nervous about this subject. He had no idea what to expect.

"We didn't have the chance to test run anything, since only one person could be transported back. However, we didn't seem to find any big problems. Just that, when you alter the past, there is an exchange to balance it out," She said.

"Huh. Wait, you didn't test it for safety?"

That was unexpected. So, even Elizabeth, in her ' _fountain_ ' of knowledge, had no idea what would happen. That actually humored Minato. What, so, someone could turn into a snail? Paper could suddenly instantaneously combust? Dragons could pop into existence? The wacky, hilarious possibilities swam rough his head as he chuckled.

"No, since that would ruin our plan. However, we did conduct a smaller scale test with small rodents and found... less than scary results. Trust me, I'll tell you what to avoid."

"Good... Then, that's all I wanted to ask. Thanks, Liz," He gave her a well intentioned, exuberant hand gesture and hung up before Elizabeth could respond. A flippant smile was on his face. Ooh, she was going to definitely kill him when they next spoke. But, at least he didn't have much to worry about. To be honest, the time spent with his past friends and his interacting with Elizabeth had actually begun to make him laugh off his ever-present dread and relax. He was grossed in their antics again pretty quickly and he couldn't wait to hear or see Elizabeth's reaction to him using the nickname she despised.

He finished up his preparations and headed off to school to get an early start, getting settled in at his desk as he watched Junpei and Yukari, among others, enter after his arrival. Ms. Toriumi was talking about literature, and how she loved the writing work of a famed singer best. She asked Junpei to tell her the name of her favorite author and, Junpei being Junpei, naturally asked Minato for the answer instead of actually paying attention.

"Utsubo Kubota," Minato whispered over, an amused smirk on his face. Junpei gave the teacher his answer, sighing and slumping in his chair in relief when he got it right.

"Man, you saved my bacon, Minato!" He thanked. Minato gave him a cheeky grin, aware of the other student whispering about him, impressed by his tenativity. Class seemed to fly by as the school day ended. Minato somehow made it out before Junpei, so he decided to walk home alone, traveling through the strip mall along his way. This brief moment alone gave him much more space to look around and enjoy the beautiful spring scenery present throughout the mall. Flowers were in bloom, the weather was nice and everyone seemed contented. Even as he made his way back to the dorm, he smiled lightly at the plants, animals and people all flourishing in the season of rebirth. He stopped before the dorm, averting his gaze from his sight seeing to head inside. Opening the door, he found Yukari sitting with someone. A pang of unbridled rage burned in him upon seeing the person's face, an emotion he usually never found himself feeling. _Shuji Ikutsuki_.

"Oh, he's back," Yukari stated, turning to see him. She tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear, looking a bit surprised.

"So, this is our new guest..."

A sour feeling spread throughout his body upon hearing his voice, Minato trying his hardest to keep a straight face. His eyelid twitched against his will and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. He _hated_ Ikutsuki. And there weren't many people he could say that about, since he was so friendly by nature. Ikutsuki stood up and walked over to Minato. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman of the board for your school," He introduced himself. Minato already knew exactly who he was. "'Ikutsuki'... Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes. Please, have a seat," He motioned to the sofa, Minato nodding and taking a seat next to Yukari. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?" He seemed good-natured, but Minato knew his true intentions. He couldn't just forgive the madman before him for all he had done. He shook his head. Minato feared that if he spoke, he wouldn't be able to supress his blatant hatred for the punny chairman.

"Really? None? Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He got up, beginning to leave before pausing next to Minato. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'" He suggested with a chuckle. "... Please forgive the pun." He headed upstairs. Yukari groaned as he left.

"You'll get used to his lame jokes," She assured him, rolling her eyes. She didn't sound too sure herself.

"If you say so..."

Going to bed, Minato knew what awaited him tonight. We wasn't exactly sure how it would go, but his curiosity washed away as sleep took him in it's enticing embrace.

 _Meanwhile..._

Yukari was in the command room with Mitsuru and Ikutsuki. A hidden camera located inside Minato's room was being used to watch him at that very moment.

"Working hard?" Ikutsuki broke the heavy silence. Mitsuru nodded firmly, rubbing her left eye, which was slightly dry. "So, how's he doing?"

"He went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now," Mitsuru reported, standing up to face the chairman. Ikutsuki sat down on one of the small cushions decorating the room. "Mr. Chairman, do you think he's...?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now. ... The dark hour is approaching," He explained ominously. They all turned to watch him through the camera screen with baited breath, the possibility nabbing their attention instantaneously. The clock struck midnight... and with it, the lighting within the room dimmed and took on a green tone, the everyday people turning to sleep in their coffins. Despite this, Minato was still human, fast asleep. "Hmm... He's still sleeping," Ikutsuki noticed. "During this 'hidden hour', an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin and is oblivious to all that occurs."

"Then, he must be..." Yukari trailed off. What were the chances that their random transfer student had the potential?

"As you can see, he's retained his human form. He's asleep, but he's definitely experiencing the dark hour," He concluded. "The only question that remains is whether or not he has the potential. Although, he must. ... If he didn't, they would've preyed on him by now."

"Scary..." Yukari murmured, glad that she at least had the potential and could protect herself. She looked down.

"In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days," Ikutsuki commanded. Mitsuru nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"I feel kinda bad though, spying on him like this..." What they were doing tugged at her heart. She knew it wasn't right, but the actions they were taking was the best and safest way to go about it...

 _Back to Minato..._

He was aware of a tiled floor zooming by as he approached an opened door. Inside, he found himself seated on a comfortable, distinguished chair and, before him was Igor and Elizabeth. He was inside the Velvet Room.

"Welcome to the velvet room, my dear young man," Igor greeted menacingly. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is Elizabeth," He motioned to the woman to his left, "She is a resident here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you," She greeted. Her calm air was back in full swing at the moment. That and their reintroducing themselves lead Minato to believe that these two were the past versions of his dear friends.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter..." Igor spoke the famous line. Minato smiled a bit at that, adjusting his posture. "It's been _years_ since we've had a guest." On the table before them sat the red folder that held the contract Minato signed.

With a wave of his hand, Igor opened the folder to reveal the contract and Minato's signed name. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcomed here in the velvet room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return..." He paused, a cackle coming from him for a brief moment. "... That you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"Sounds fair," Minato agreed with a nod. That _was_ what Pharos had said the contract had been for in the first place, so he had no qualms.

"I am glad you are so quick to understand. Hold onto this..." Igor handed Minato a small blue key. It was his own Velvet Key, which allowed him to enter the velvet room at any time. "'Til we meet again..." His surroundings slowly faded from view, Igor's farewell echoing into silence as he began to awaken from his slumber.


	4. Beginning of the End

**Well, I made it to the awakening scene! For here on out, there should be some wacky stuff going down. Trust me, this moment is just the first of many to come to go against the original story, so I hope you enjoy!**

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April Ninth, 2009

Next full moon in: Today

* * *

Minato jerked awake, finding himself sprawled on the floor. He pulled himself back onto his bed, rubbing his head. He had a pretty nasty headache this morning, and he was never a restless sleeper. What happened? Minato pushed it to the back of his mind for now. It could wait. He was running a bit later than he'd like at the moment, so he prioritized getting ready for school first. By the time he was ready, his headache had only worsened and was becoming rather painful. He contemplated trying to pick up some medicine to help, but he figured he'd be okay. It was only for the day. Now, it was time to go to school.

At school, they had a different teacher teaching. Mr. Ekoda explained that he taught classic literature which send whimpers of boredom bouncing through the student body that served as his captive audience. Minato could barely keep up with his strange lecture, which was basically him saying that the world was crazy, not him, which Minato completely disagreed with. Feeling very tired with a pounding headache to boot, Minato layed down his head and allowed himself to doze off. He was awoken by someone lightly shaking him after what only felt like a brief moment.

"Yo, dude. Get up already!" Junpei's familiarly outspoken, loud tone sent a painful ringing through Minato's head. He groaned.

"What is it? I have a headache..." Minato questioned softly, yawning as he sat up. How long was he out?

"Hey, sorry man, but school's over. Wanna go home together?" Junpei asked. Minato nodded, grabbing his things and following Junpei as they walked home. They went through the station, a wide array of colorful people brightening the area, many of which Minato could call by name. Minato split from Junpei, finishing the trek home with as little noise as possible. He signed in without a word and immediately made his way up the stairs to crash in his bed. He hoped that, by sleeping, his headache would lessen.

 _Meanwhile..._

Yukari and Mitsuru were once again monitoring Minato through the secret camera in his room, carefully looking to make sure he wasn't suddenly attacked by monsters, or something else of the sort. Ikutsuki walked in, slowing to a halt in front of a seated Mitsuru.

"...How is he?" He asked innocently.

"The same as last night," Mitsuru voiced. She looked pretty astonished to Yukari as her red gaze faltered. Ikutsuki sat down again, watching the screen.

"Hmm... Very interesting," He said to himself. Mitsuru and Yukari turned to hear Ikutsuki speak. "Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first... ... Memory loss... Disorientation... But, this subject is rather unique. He hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms." Minato was an odd case for the pre-existing members of SEES, as he seemed to hold potential but didn't display any symptoms of recently awakening to it. Did that mean that he'd had potential for a while already?

"But, we're treating him like a guinea pig," Yukari finally voiced her concerns, her brown eyes looking into Ikutsuki's.

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I heard he's your classmate... Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?" He made a solid point.

"Yeah, I guess. But, still..." Yukari didn't get the chance to finish as a 'ping' alerted them of something.

"Command room," Mitsuru said, listening in. "Is that you, Akihiko?"

"You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge!" He panted. There was a thrilled tone to his words with made Mitsuru clench her fists. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me... I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there," He informed them, out of breath.

"Does that mean... He's bringing that thing here?!" Yukari gasped, terror rising within her at the thought alone. Mitsuru stood up immediately, her tightened muscles and louder tone of voice showing just how on edge she was.

"Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!" Mitsuru told him, waiting for his approval.

"... R-right! Be careful!" Even Ikutsuki looked shaken, which startled Yukari. The three burst from the command room and raced downstairs, acutely aware of the loud stomping noise that was only drawing closer. They got to the first floor just as Akihiko sprinted inside, pushing against the doors so they would close. He was completely out of breath and slumped to the ground as he fought to recover.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru gasped. Yukari rushed forward, making a bee line straight for her fellow classmate. She reached out to see if he was wounded, but he pulled away.

"Agh...!" He groaned in pain, his face scrunching up.

"Senpai!?" Yukari was freaking out. Akihiko, probably the strongest, most capable member of SEES, was on the ground and moaning due to pain.

"I'm alright," He sighed. A smile spread across his face, excitement in his eyes.

"Get ready to be surprised... It'll be here any second."

"This is no time to joke around!" Mitsuru yelled. Yukari knew the two clashed every now and again, but she never realized exactly what about and just how serious they both were. Ikutsuki seemed to brush this to the side.

"It's one of them, Akihiko?" He inquired.

"Yes, but not an ordinary one-" He was cut short by a rumble and a sharp tremor, presumably produced by the gigantic shadow. Yukari found herself gasping in surprise.

"What the...?! ... You've gotta be kidding me!" She cried. Mitsuru wasted no time, unleashing the gun on her belt with her right hand.

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!" She instructed, directing her gaze at Yukari next. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up! Then, escape out the back."

"But, what about you two?" Yukari stammered. She couldn't just leave them, could she?

"We'll stop it here. You lead it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

Akihiko sent her a glare.

"Like I had a choice!" He snapped. "What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!"

"I-I'm going!" She nodded, her and Ikutsuki both scaling the staircase in an absolute frenzy.

 _Back to Minato..._

All the ruckus woke Minato up, his eyes fluttering open. It felt like a truck had been dropped on his head, his headache enticing a low groan from him. Just then, a loud banging rang at his door. Great...

"Wake up!" Yukari screamed frantically, Minato flinching in pain. "Sorry, I'm coming in." The door flew open, Yukari rushing to his side. "I said, get up! We need to go!" She urged, shaking him violently.

It wasn't very effective...

"Alright, alright. Gimme a sec, okay? I have a headache that rivals the intensity of a nuclear blast, I feel like I haven't slept in three weeks and now-" Minato wasn't able to finish. He caught Yukari's horrified and guilty expression and stopped himself. "Sorry... What's up?" He quickly corrected.

"I-I don't have time to explain," She swallowed hard, her breath ragged. She looked near tears. "We have to get out of here, now!" Minato nodded and stood up, ignoring how silly he felt in his pajamas as he and Yukari took off. "Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" As she spoke, another tremor shook the building. "Here. Take this, just in case," She handed him a short sword. If this was in different context, Minato would definitely consider her violent or some sort of shady weapon dealer. In fact, that might've been helpful on his original journey... They arrived downstairs, making a mad dash through the kitchen as they got to the back door.

"Alright, we should be safe now-" No sooner were the words out of her mouth when irony cut her off for a second time in Minato's experience.

"Takeba, do you read me?!"

"Y-yes! I hear you!" Yukari called to no one in particular.

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" Mitsuru warned fervently. Yukari shrank back in shock.

"The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

Shoot.

"What?!" Yukari shrieked. She was slowly losing it more and more as things progressively got worse. And, seeming to enjoy Yukari as it's punching bag, fate would have it that Mitsuru broke communications at that exact moment. A slam against the back door reminded Yukari that they needed to run. Now. With another slam, Yukari took action. "L-let's pull back!" She told him as they took off again. This time, they climbed the stairs in an even pace, a rhythmic 'click, clack' accompanying their footsteps. "What're we going to do...? They're downstairs!" She panicked rhetorically. "Do we have any other choice but to go up?"

"Not unless you want to be something's midnight snack," Minato grimaced. A huge tremor shook as they reached the third floor, both straining for balance. His headache forgotten, Minato nearly fell flat on his face."W-whoa, whoa!" Yukari outstretched her arms to regain her balance. "What are we going to do?" The tremor came to an end, the pair seizing the opening to continue their ascent. By the time they had made it up a floor or two, they heard a loud crash from further down the staircase.

"What was that?!" Yukari immediately tried to peer down the open center of the spiraling stairs, but yet another heavy quake forced her to pull back. They were getting faster and increasingly powerful as they went on. "It's getting closer!" Yukari screamed, trying desperately, and failing, to maintain her composure. "K-keep moving! Hurry!" Finally, they reached the top floor. This is where it all went down.

"O-oh yeah! If we go out through here-" She didn't even finish her own sentence, wasting no time with busting through the rooftop door. She instantly slammed the door shut behind them, out of breath. Yukari let out a long sigh. "I think we're okay for now..." She assured with timid certainty. But, again, fate had other plans. Another stronger quake rocked the building to prove her wrong. Yukari gasped. She slowly peeked over her shoulder, trepidation guiding her movements as the worst she suspected came to pass.

Countless pitch black hands slowly raised and grasped the railing, an almost ethereal, shadowy entity raising itself onto the nearly empty rooftop. One free hand, carrying a ghostly, crystalline blue mask showed itself, the fear and anxiety Minato had been pushing away this whole time consuming him in an instant. The conscious hand moved the mask from side to side, as if to look around. Spotting it's prey, the black mess gathered into a jumble of arms and hands and suddenly sported an endless supply of small, razor sharp blades. One for each of it's numerable hands. It charged forward towards Yukari. She drew the gun-shaped evoker from her belt, gallantly stepping in to shield Minato from the inky beast.

"These monsters... We call them shadows," She told him. With a sharp intake of breath, she raised the gun to her forehead. She was panting, her eyes sealed closed as she willed herself to pull the trigger. Something that appeared almost like ribbon shot from the ground before them, Yukari trying once more to bring herself to shoot. It was drawing ever nearer, but before Yukari got the chance to pull the trigger, one final attack knocked her down. Her evoker flew out of her hand, landing in a blood puddle by Minato's feet. He spectated the whole event with wide eyes, looking down to regard the false gun at his mercy.

It was almost like the world suddenly stopped. Minato could no longer hear anything as he watched the Maya dart for him next, the sounds filtered out and replaced with white noise. He looked on as Pharos appeared in his mind's eye. He smiled welcomingly, directing Minato's gaze to the gun.

"Go on."

He knew what had to be done. He picked up the evoker, ignoring the nasty, warm red liquid that dripped from it. A many number of feelings crossed his heart at that moment, alert to the world's intent observing. He could feel his heartbeat pulse like a ripple throughout his body, countless images popping up as he raised the gun to his head. His eyebrow twitched uncomfortably, his dread taking over as the end of the barrel touched his scalp. Yukari, then the moon, then Pharos and back to Yukari. He no longer had control over his own body. Acting of it's own accord, it kept an eye on the looming Maya. Minato drew a deep, ragged breath. A smile found it's way onto his lips as his headache dissipated.

"Persona."

The magic word came from his mouth, syllable by syllable. He pulled the trigger instantly, his face immediately lit with unearthly blue light as fragments of what resembled glass cascaded around him in a vortex.

" _Thou art I. And I am thou._ "

He knew that voice. Orpheus had once again heeded his calling.

" _From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings._ "

Orpheus' feral roar resonated. Wait. Something was off... The intense power was an indicator, but the skills proved him right. Unlike Orpheus, who only had access to the skill Bash, this persona had many more at it's disposal. It repelled fire and absorbed strike attacks with the passive skills regenerate 3 and enduring soul. It's attacks consisted of Agidyne, Maragidyne, Morning Star and Megidolaon. This wasn't Orpheus, but Minato fully recognized who it was in actuality. It was Orpheus Telos, his ultimate persona. He'd fused Telos himself, which explained why the persona was so familiar to him. But, why had it appeared in the original Orpheus' place? Sadly, he hadn't much time to think as his headache returned with a vengeance.

"Gah!" He cried out, holding his head as it was rocked with pain. A bone chilling 'crack!' resonated, Minato's persona bucking as another entity took control. A hand shot from his persona's scarlet neck cavity, Orpheus' body twisting against it's will as something emerged from inside it. It contorted, limbs falling limp as two hands pushed it apart. Orpheus was left in pieces as Thanatos stood in it's place. Letting out it's own roar, it swung it's sword and jumped high into the air. Minato lurched forward as he began to feel queasy. His blurry vision could just barely make out Thanatos against the green moon, descending towards the Maya at a breakneck speed. It landed a strike, scaring the Maya as it began to back away. But, Thanatos wouldn't let it go so easily.

It grabbed the formless shadow and sliced open it's mask expertly, soullessly ending the creature's life. The mask melted into the ground, Thanatos gasping for breath as it still held one of the arms that flailed about crazily. Yukari bore witness to the whole ordeal, watching in abject horror as Minato's persona brought about a merciless murder. Thanatos tightened it's grasp until the hand finally melted away, sending out one more victory cry before there was a moment of static and Orpheus Telos stood in it's place.

Finally having recovered, Minato felt his mind clear up once again as his true persona channeled it's power into him.

"Is it over?" Yukari meekly piped up, looking towards Minato with fear and confusion. Minato opened his mouth to respond, but two more bellows caught his attention instead. He faced the pair of Mayas now without even a trace of fear, challenging them silently as he stared them down. He put the evoker to his head one more time, shooting himself to call Orpheus Telos back to the field.

"Maragidyne!" He commanded, motioning to the cowardly Mayas before them. Orpheus launched powerful fire at the two, killing them instantly. And, with that, Minato collapsed to the ground. His vision fading, the last sound he heard was a shocked gasp from Yukari as his consciousness faded away...


	5. SEES

**Well, the multi day chapters have finally made their debut! That's how most of the chapters will be going from here on out, focusing mostly on afterschool time and exploring Tartarus for character development. I aim to liven the days between bosses by adding crazy things happening on school days and sundays. So, if you have any ideas or suggestions, send me a message or review! Trust me, I've already got some wacky stuff all lined up and planned out, so anything works! Don't hesitate to send critiques or nitpicks either, as, again, they are much appreciated ^^**

 **Enjoy!**

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? ? ?

* * *

Minato blinked open his droopy eyes, finding himself inside the velvet room. More importantly, the velvet room of the future. It resembled a limousine, the room itself confined within a moving vehicle.

"Ah. Welcome once again to the velvet room," Igor greeted, eying Minato. It was still rather jarring to see the velvet room of the future and it's drastic change compared to it's past rendition. Margaret was no where to be found, but Elizabeth was sitting to Minato's left. She watched him with a wicked gleam in her eyes, causing Minato to physically flinch. She was still one who ruled over power and Minato, having challenged her and barely won once before, knew fully the extent of her insane abilities.

" _Minato_." That word alone sent chills down his spine, Minato turning to regard Elizabeth. "I believe some apologies are in order," Her sour expression spoke volumes, one eyebrow raised with a pouting lip. Despite it all, he felt a smile coming on. "Now. Why did you call me by that... that...!" She seethed. Minato searched desperately for words...

"Totally adorable nickname...?" He smirked devilishly, shrugging. She sighed deeply.

"If I ever catch you calling me that again, I will not hesitate to send a friendly _Megidolaon_ your way, courtesy of Pixie and I. Got it?" Elizabeth growled, her usually bright tone replaced by something truly sinister tone.

"Then I'll just have to battle you again," Minato taunted, giving her a wink.

Before Elizabeth could blow another casket, Margaret walked in. Entering from the car door, she took her seat among the velvet residents and crossed her arms.

"Sister... Are you causing our guest trouble again?" Margaret scolded, eying Elizabeth. Her menacing facade was swiftly replaced with a sweeter, more innocent expression.

"No, of course not, dear sister!" She brushed the comment off, playing the part with her exaggeratedly widened eyes and borderline sarcastic, mocking tone. Margaret looked to him for confirmation.

"Don't worry, we were only talking about Elizabeth's little nickname," Minato waved her serious eyes away. Elizabeth actually growled at him, but just pouted when Margaret sent her a stern, scalding stare.

"Our master has some business with him," Margaret pointed out cooly. Igor, who had patiently watched the entire exchange, gave Margaret a small nod.

"Indeed. I have much to discuss with you, young man," He confirmed. "I am aware that it was Orpheus Telos that heeded your calling in Orpheus' place. I'm sure you're very confused, but allow me to explain." Minato nodded. He was kinda confused, actually. "Orpheus Telos was a power brought about by your strength of heart. That power gave strength to your persona, Orpheus, who in turn became Orpheus Telos. That is why Orpheus Telos came to you instead, as it is a representation for your true power. That, however, causes problems for us."

"Huh? What kind of problems?" Minato inquired.

"Because you demonstrated power beyond which you were meant to command, the past has reformed around you to accept this change. Like clay, the past can be molded and reformed countless times. But, my constructs cater to the past's form as we _originally_ knew it. Now that it has shifted, the constructs are left out of place and may cause side effects as they work to tie themselves with the past once more," Elizabeth elucidated, sighing.

"What kind of side effects...? We talking wacky or full on insane?" Minato interrogated, raising an eyebrow in concern. Elizabeth held her breath, casting her eyes elsewhere.

"We aren't entirely sure, but we believe that, just as we observed from our testing, anything is possible," Margaret finished. Minato nodded haphazardly. So, summoning Telos was going to cause problems...

"Wait. Who would this affect, exactly?" He couldn't contain his curiosity. Elizabeth and Margaret exchanged glances, but both fell silent. Minato turned to Igor next, watching him pleadingly.

"We have reason to believe it will affect you." Those words made Minato freeze up. _He_ would be affected...? "However, we are not certain, as both the past and Elizabeth's constructs are unpredictable." Minato gulped. Well, that certainly ruined his day. So, he was to be afflicted with some sort of... penalty for changing the past? _Better me than the others..._ He looked down, releasing the fingers of his hands that he wasn't aware be balled into fists.

"... Okay, that's fine," Minato finally spoke, nodding firmly in acceptance. If it had to be anyone, it _should_ be him. His friends didn't deserve this.

"That is not all we called you here to speak of," Igor disclosed, watching as Minato was caught off guard once again, his eyes widening in surprise. What now? "We would also like to warn you. With this one deviation, many others can and will occur. This won't be the only time the past changes. This is only the beginning of many more to come."

"How can I stop it?" He thoughtlessly exclaimed. Deep down he already knew the answer, Igor speaking next to confirm it. "You can't, I'm afraid. Some events are now predetermined to change," Igor's grin faltered a bit, never breaking eye contact with Minato, who was crestfallen. Minato closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, then another. He sighed, downcast. Whether he liked it or not, it seemed, at this rate, his friends might just be affected too.

"I, uh... Thank you," Minato murmured dejectedly, "at least for telling me this." The velvet sisters nodded solemnly.

Even Igor was at a loss for words, which was shocking to say the least. Minato felt a single tear well up in his eye as the velvet room began to glow. Taking one final deep, shaky breath, Minato steeled himself. He clenched his hands into fists, wiping the tear away. He could do this. _They_ could do this. If his friends could give Nyx a run for it's money, they could definitely handle this. He tilted his head downward and shared a determined smile.

"Don't worry, I _will_ pull through. We all will," Minato promised wholeheartedly. Igor closed his eyes in recognition of his resolve, Elizabeth grinning knowingly. The velvet room faded away...

* * *

As his mind became clearer, Minato lazily wondered how long he'd been out. Oh, wait, he already knew. He slowly cracked open his eyes, the well lit hospital room around him practically glowing to awaken him. He felt another presence beside him, but he didn't turn to see who it was. It was Yukari, as he'd already experienced.

"You're awake...!" Yukari gasped excitedly. Minato, half conscious, rolled his head to the side to face her as she spoke to him.

"Hmm...?"

"How do you feel? Are you alright?" She quickly jumped to concern. Minato nodded, letting out a big yawn. "Thank goodness, you finally came to...! You were out for a whole week!" Minato sat up, readjusting his pillow as his head began to clear up.

"I know..." He intoned, his mind elsewhere. Wait! Shoot!

"Huh? You know? How could you possibly know that?" Yukari doubted, her right eyebrow raising.

"L-lucky guess..." Minato amended, glossing over the tiniest stutter that exposed his statement for a lie. He drew the sheets of the hospital bed closer to cover more of him in his new position, brushing his chaotic bangs to the side.

"Well, I'm just glad you woke up... I was so worried about you!" Yukari admitted. Minato smiled amicably at her gushing. He did love her consideration for him, feeling as though his heart swelled at her expressed care. "Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station," Yukari divulged with a pleased grin. "The doctor said he couldn't find anything wrong with you. All he said was you were exhausted," She sighed and shook her head, her orangey brown hair waving alongside her. "Do you know how worried I was? I mean, you just kept sleeping and sleeping!" Minato reached a hand out to pat her on the head.

"I know... I'm sorry," He comforted. The memories of the velvet room came marching back at that moment and his expression visually darkened.

"I should be the one apologizing, since I couldn't do anything..." She trembled, avoiding his gaze. "I mean, you're upset with me, right?"

"No! I would never!" He abruptly denied. She did the best she could at the time. It was circumstance that made her fail.

"But... Even though I was supposed to protect you, I..." She trailed off. Minato rested his hand on her shoulder.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're okay and you tried your best," He encouraged, giving her a thumbs up for added benefit.

"Yeah...! Thanks for cheering me up," She beamed. "You power is what saved us, though. It was amazing!" Minato chuckled, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

"It wasn't _that_ impressive. I'm sure you're just as strong," He forfeited her praise.

"No, really! I was so surprised you had potential like that," She smiled.

"Potential?" He asked, playing dumb.

"Ah, of course. I didn't get a chance to properly go over everything, did I? That creature... We call them Shadows. The power you used is the only way to defeat them. We call it Persona," She explained. "I know it all sounds crazy, but we'll explain everything when you get back."

"Okay, sounds good to me," Minato buzzed, content.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this before..." She confessed, getting up to walk around. "I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorta like you."

"Like me?" Minato inquired, curious. He remembered what she had said back then, but the conversation was different from before...

"My dad died in an accident when I was little. And my mom and I aren't really talking... Honestly, I already know about your past... You're all alone too, right?"

"Not anymore," Minato smiled hopefully at her. "After all, now I have you, right?"

"H-huh? R-right..." Yukari agreed, caught off guard by the sudden display of affection. "I didn't think it was really fair that I knew your past, but you didn't know mine. That's why I wanted to tell you. It was back in '99... My dad was caught in an explosion near his workplace, which was a lab run by the Kirijo Group. I've been hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm attending Gekkoukan high, and why I was there when this happened." Minato nodded, following along as she continued. "Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help... It was my first time fighting them too. It's my fault... You wouldn't have to go through this if I wasn't such a coward."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I was scared too," Minato encouraged, chortling at his own fear. He had faced death and worse, yet Mayas still managed to give him the willies.

"Really? But, you looked so composed...!" She exclaimed, unable to push the shine of admiration from her eyes. She followed it with a groan. "And here I am telling you all this as soon as you wake up. Sorry for wasting your time."

"Stop apologizing," Minato digressed. "I already forgave you, silly."

"I know... Thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time. But, I'd better get going. I'll be sure to let the others know you woke up, just take it easy. Be a good patient and don't hesitate to ask for help, alright? I'll be seeing you!" Yukari walked off, waving as she closed the door behind herself. She was truly a great friend... Minato hadn't realized just how much he'd missed them all. The joking banter, the crazy antics and the serious, profound moments. With them, everything had meaning. Even someone as invisible as him.

* * *

April Eighteenth, 2009

Next full moon in: 21 days

* * *

Minato was discharged that day, spending only one conscious half day in the still hospital before returning home the following evening. His friends had thankfully brought him a change of clothes, as the ones he was wearing belonged to the hospital and he couldn't just waltz down the street in his PJs. It was strange that they brought him his Gekkoukan uniform, but he didn't complain in the slightest. It was better than nothing. Since he got back so late, they promised to fill him in after school the next day, so he fell asleep and hustled to school this morning. Mr. Ono was teaching today, boredly going over mammoths and the stone age. He couldn't seem to stress enough that he adored the Sengoku era and wanted to skip ahead to teach it. Alas, he was paid to do things by the book, so he moved onto the Jomon era instead. He asked Yukari what houses of this time were called, and she expertly replied with 'Mud Huts.' Minato found that strange. It was Junpei who was asked that question last he remembered, which Minato had to answer for him any way. It was trifling to him, however, as he already knew the answer to his question. He simply didn't understand why something as trivial as that was affected.

School ended for the day and Minato took a detour, walking through Paulownia mall on his way back. He could still remember the time he took Elizabeth here and all the great places to eat, noticing Mutatsu the monk and Mewlie the cat as he passed. He made it to the dorm door, greeted by interior decorations and thin air once inside. They had told him to go to the fourth floor, so he made his way upstairs to meet them.

"Oh, hey!" Yukari greeted him as he reached said floor. "Glad you could make it. Come on, the others are waiting!" She led him to where the other members of SEES were collected, stopping at Ikutsuki's words.

"Ah, there you are. I'm glad that you're okay," He chimed welcomingly to greet Minato. "The reason I asked you here is because I need to talk to you. Please, have a seat." Minato settled on the square seat to the far right, as far away from Ikutsuki as he could get in this scenario. "Oh, but before we start," He pointed to Akihiko, "I'd like to introduce Akihiko Sanada."

"How 'ya doing?"

"Good. You?" Minato politely replied. Akihiko grinned at that.

"I'm doin' fine."

"Good. Now, let me start by asking you this..." Here it came, the infamous question. "Would you believe me if I said a day consists of more than 24 hours?" Minato already had the perfect answer ready, clearing his throat.

"Yup."

"H-huh? So fast!" Yukari was thrown off, stupefied by his bland comedic response.

"What makes you say that?" Mitsuru was straight to the point. As usual.

"Well, the day I arrived, the moon turned green, there were a bunch of coffins everywhere and water became blood," Minato checked off his fingers as he went. "Oh yeah, and the electronics all shut off without a single person in sight."

"So, you did experience it then..." Mitsuru thought aloud to herself. "That's the Dark Hour- a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"It's more something people aren't aware of. But, the dark hour does exist. It occurs every night at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every night to come." That last line... It might've been the first inkling of Ikutsuki's eventual betrayal, looking back.

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins," Akihiko elaborated. "But, that's not what makes the dark hour so interesting... You saw those creatures. We call them shadows. They only pop up during the dark hour to attack anyone outside a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Doesn't it sound exciting?"

"Akihiko! You just got injured the other day, so why are you still acting like this?" Mitsuru berated harshly, standing. Akihiko groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Now, now. He does his work well enough," That was enough to get the two to sit down again, both clearly pouting. Ikutsuki continued. "Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But, in actuality, this group is dedicated to defeating shadows. Mitsuru acts as the leader and I'm the club advisor."

"Shadows feast upon the minds of their victims, turning them into living corpses. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news concerning Apathy Syndrome, if not all of them," Mitsuru expounded, crossing her arms.

"So, we fight these things with... What did you call it? Persona?" Minato couldn't let them catch on or get suspicious, so he played it cool and tried to move the conversation along.

"Essentially, yes. It's the only form of power that can defeat shadows," She nodded with him.

"Sorry, I felt bad, so I told him a little..." Yukari added guiltily.

"Takeba is correct. Although rare, there are those who can function during the dark hour. Some even awaken to the power of their persona, a physical embodiment of their psyche. It's also the power you used the other night. And, since shadows can only be defeated by persona users, that means it's all up to you guys." Ikutsuki avouched with a nod.

"I see..." Minato breathed.

"I'm glad you're so quick to understand." Mitsuru rose and unlocked the brief case that sat in the middle of the table, revealing it's contents. Inside was an crimson armband with the letters SEES on it, the other item an evoker.

"What he's saying, is that we want you to join us. We've even prepared an evoker for you in advance, since we'd like you to lend us your strength," Mitsuru announced. Minato shrugged.

"Sure, I don't mind," He agreed. Yukari let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. I was afraid you'd say no..." She cheered, giggling a bit as she yawned. "Welcome aboard."

"Thank you so much. I am truly grateful for your cooperation," Ikutsuki added, his friendly smile just a little bit on the offensive side. "Oh, I nearly forgot! About your room assignment... Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the hold up is, but it all worked out in the end."

"Hold up? Wasn't that-' Yukari started. "Oh, never mind. It doesn't really matter anymore anyway." The sudden, unexpected sound of glass shattering broke Minato's immersion, the world freezing around him.

" _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a persona of the fool arcana..._ "

A mysterious voice rang out in his head. Well, social links were back. That meant... Oh no. Not again! Minato did care deeply for his friends, but he had no intention of getting frisky with _every single one_ of his female friends _again_. He'd have to find a way around that little issue, or Valentine's day, if he even reached it this time around, would be unbearably painful in more ways than one. Of course, he hadn't finished his social link with Yukari, Chihiro, Fuuka or even Mitsuru, but he'd gotten far enough with most to know where they were headed. The world started once again, Minato's expression having shifted a lot since it froze. He grimaced, staring straight on with dead fish eyes.

"Are... you okay?" Yukari ventured, eying him curiously. "You were totally zoning out."

"Yeah... Just tired, I guess..." He muttered. He couldn't bring himself to face Yukari as the thought of completing her social link hung ever present in his mind.

"You should probably head to bed, then. It's getting late," Ikutsuki was so kind as to point it out. Minato sighed, standing up.

"I think I will. Good night," Minato turned away to leave, an awkward line dashed across his face in place of a mouth. This was going to be interesting...


	6. Tartarus

**Heyo! It took me a bit to figure this chapter out, in terms of what I wanted to accomplish, but I think it turned out pretty good ^^ I, myself have a random, nonsense password as seen in this chapter that I have memorized by heart, so that's where the idea came from. I also needed to squeeze in the past velvet room scene in here instead of Pharos, but I've got him all figured out, so don't worry. By the way, upon completing this chapter, I realized something. This chapter is excatly 6,978 words long?!**

 **It's more on the slice of life side with minor Tartarus exploration, but nothing major yet XP**

* * *

Velvet Room (Past)

* * *

Tile raced by and, in a flash, Minato was thrown back through the door to the velvet room of the past. This was meant to happen during his stay at the hospital, but it seemed that it had been moved to a few nights before his first Tartarus exploration.

"Welcome to the velvet room," Igor said his signature greeting. "We've been trying to reach you, in case you aren't aware."

"What do you mean?" Minato pried, looking confused. Was it because the future velvet residents visited him during his hospital stay instead? Even so, they should've been able to speak with him the night thereafter.

"I wished to speak with you, but another power kept you from our grasp. Until now, that is," He explained. That caught Minato's attention. They kept him away from their own past iterations? Why would Igor do such a thing?

Minato asked curiously, "What did you want to speak of?"

"You have finally awakened to your power. It seems Orpheus Telos heeded your call... Very interesting indeed."

"Y-yeah..." Minato mumbled. He'd no idea how that would change Igor's opinion of him, or what it would affect in the future. He just hoped that Igor didn't really care.

"As you are already aware, that power is called persona. It is a manifestation of your psyche," Igor reviewed. "It's like a mask you wear to bear many hardships. Your power is far stronger than I originally thought. It requires inner strength to use your persona, and yours is a powerful reflection of your resolve. It can gain strength from Social Links- your emotional ties with others. The stronger your social links, the greater your persona ability. Please, keep that in mind."

"Okay, I think I get it," Minato nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Take this," He handed Minato a small blue key. "With that, you will come here of your own accord when we next meet. Farewell."

* * *

April Nineteenth, 2009

Next full moon in: 20 days

* * *

Minato awoke to the warm comfort of his bed, turning to lay on his back. Thank God it was a sunday. He didn't think he could've made it one more day in school... A discontented rumble from his stomach prompted him to get up. With a yawn and some stretching, he fumbled his way downstairs, arriving at the lounge to find the room empty. _They must still be sleeping_. His stomach gave him another low growl and he sighed. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, observing it's contents. There wasn't a whole bunch of stuff he could just grab, so he took the egg carton. He searched around for a frying pan for a bit, letting his mind clear as he finally found what he was looking for. He plopped it down on a stove top burner, nabbing some non-stick cooking spray and painting a layer on. Grabbing four eggs, he cracked them all into a container, careful to wash his hands before stirring it all up. With a single crank, the burner started up and he poured his egg batter inside. A spatula was a must, but before he could reach to grab one, he heard a yawn.

"Good morning," Yukari spoke groggily. Minato turned to face her. She was wearing some fuzzy pink pajama pants with little rabbit faces all over.

"'Morning," Minato found himself yawning again, taking the spatula he needed as he stirred up his soon-to-be scrambled eggs. Yukari pulled up a stool and took a seat at the island.

"What're you making?" She asked, trying to angle her head to catch a glimpse.

"Scrambled eggs."

"They smell really good!" She applauded excitedly. "Then again, it might just be the hunger speaking..." Minato feigned a hurt expression.

"You _dare_ question my egg scrambling skills?" He challenged, mimicking a heroic tone as he played the victim. Yukari cracked a smile and laughed at that.

"No, no. Of course not!"

"I can make the _scrambliest_ eggs!" Minato continued, undeterred by Yukari's joking disdain.

"No, really, it's fine," Yukari pleaded, holding out her arms in a stopping manner. Minato huffed.

"You're no fun..." Back to his stirring he went. The temperature was at it's highest, so he had to consistently stir the eggs up to ensure they wouldn't stick to the bottom or burn. "...What time is it?" He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he idly tried to engage in small talk.

"There's a clock right there," Yukari pointed to a clock mounted on the wall.

"Humor me."

"Fine... It says it's 8:55ish. Maybe 8:57? I'm not sure..." Minato nodded his thanks. After another period of silence, but before he could pose another small question, his eggs were done. He grabbed a plate from elsewhere and poured the scrambly goodness on top. He emptied some water into the pan and set it back on the stove to cool down, grabbing a seat beside Yukari. That's when he realized something was missing. He kinda needed a fork, unless he wanted to eat piping hot scrambled eggs with his fingers. He got up, Yukari following suit as they walked to polar opposites of the spacious kitchen. He grabbed his fork from a drawer and Yukari went to open the freezer. Minato turned around to head back...

"Ah!" Yukari shrieked, jumping back in surprise. Two or three ice cubes had flown out of the freezer as she opened it up, 'attacking' her, so to speak.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Minato made his way to the fellow teen, helping her up from her position on the ground. "What was that about?"

"I-I have no idea! The ice cubes just started flying straight for me!" Yukari was shaken, but her claim was anything but serious.

"Who would've thought? Killer ice cubes."

"Sh-shut up!" She frowned, pouting.

"Yukari! You don't have to be so _cold_ ," He taunted crudely, aggravating her further with the shameless grin he wore. She deadpanned. "... Sorry." Yukari sighed.

"It's fine... Just, don't bring it up again. Okay?"

"Okay," Minato agreed. They both sat down with a sigh, Minato hungrily digging into his breakfast. Yukari was sipping some ice water the whole time with a bagel, watching him at times as he polished everything off.

"Fast eater, huh?" Yukari tilted her head to the side. She'd only eaten half of her bagel, which was slathered in cream cheese. Minato wolfishly grinned with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm pretty into food. I eat everything really fast, discluding ice cream."

"I can see that... But, ice cream?" She didn't seem to get it.

"I have sensitive front teeth, so I can't easily bite into ice cream, or anything really hot or cold for that matter. Plus, I just tend to take longer on it specifically, though I'm not sure why," Minato explained, pointing to the middle three or four of both his top and bottom teeth.

"Oh, that must be really annoying," Yukari slumped, taking a bite of her bagel. Minato nodded. They spoke like that for what must've been at least a half an hour, chatting even after Yukari finished her breakfast and they took care of their dishes together. Minato parted from her as he decided to wash up for the day, taking a quick shower and getting dressed to head back downstairs. Today was when Junpei joined the team and the first exploration of Tartarus was tomorrow, which was reason enough to get pumped.

Upon returning to the kitchen, Yukari was no where to be found. _She must've gone up to get ready_. Minato shrugged and headed back to his room. Opening the door, he walked straight to his laptop and propped it open. He still remembered the password, thankfully, entering it in with relative ease.

\- 4450gh937m

It was confirmed, granting access to the web browser, a random paint tool, some spare folders and a few other things. He moved the mouse over the internet browser, double clicking to get it to pop up on-screen. At the top, he searched up the name 'Innocent Sin Online', finding said dying MMORPG at the top of the search results. He smiled as memories of sunny weekends spent paling indoors came back. It was a nostalgic sight for him. Of course, they hadn't shut it down yet, but it was gradually losing players as time went on. He bookmarked the page to save for later, closing his computer and standing up. What to do... He could read, perhaps? No, he didn't have any books to read... He could hang out downstairs and watch TV? Nah, he didn't care for television too much in recent years.

Minato thought deeply for a moment. If they explored Tartarus... And the only persona he had was Orpheus Telos... Oh no! That would ruin everything! Minato wasn't a big fan of cheating and, although Telos was true to his real power, he couldn't shake the feeling that using him was unfair. _What should I do about it? I guess I could look in the compendium... Wait! There's nothing in there now! I forgot, I'm in the past... But, there is someone who might be able to help_. Minato pulled out his phone, scanning his barren contacts list to find the number he was looking for. A few rings, then a click.

"Minato? What is it?" Elizabeth answered from the other side, confused.

"Hey, do you still have my compendium?" Minato got straight to the point. Elizabeth chuckled.

"You mean _my_ compendium? Yes, I've held onto it for years."

"Good, I'll be needing it. By the way, I've been wondering... How can I access the future velvet room? I can't just wait around for you all to summon me at random, can I?" Minato asked, keenly listening in for her response.

"The door to the velvet room of the past is at the entrance to Tartarus, correct? Then, the door to the velvet room of the future, or the present in my case, should be there as well. It should be distinguishable from the other," She returned, helpful as ever. Minato sighed in relief. That was a weight off his chest.

"Thanks a million. See you tomorrow," He hung up, satisfied. He had just the persona in mind to grab for the exploration. But for now, back to his eternal boredom. He ended up borrowing a few books from Mitsuru to pass the time, indulging his eyes in their intricate letters and immersing himself within the worlds presented by words and paper. As the day slowly dragged on, he was relieved to hear Yukari call him down sometime around eight or nine. He walked speedily down the steps, reaching the dorm entryway.

"Well, he's here. Now, what's this all about?" Yukari didn't know what was going on, giving Akihiko an annoyed look as she demanded answers.

"There's someone I want to introduce," He answered, turning his head toward the doors. "Hey, hurry up already!"

"Hold your horses..." That unmistakable voice! "This is really freakin' heavy...!" Junpei groaned and proceeded to shove a huge, fully loaded suit case through the door, a couple other bags hanging from various positions on his arms.

"J-Junpei?! Why is _he_ here?!" Yukari asked, staring the two down with her mortified, big eyes. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today. I take it you know him?" Akihiko cut Yukari's whimpered groan short.

"I guess you could say that..." Yukari mumbled quietly, watching the ground. Junpei laughed heartily.

"Wazzup?" He exclaimed, raising his hand to high-five Minato, who had the tiniest smile on his face. Minato jumped right in and smacked his hand back, letting out a small chuckle at Junpei's oblivious, dorky attitude.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Yukari moaned, dejected. She looked like she'd just simultaneously won and then lost the lottery at the same time.

"I actually bumped into him the other night. He just recently awakened to his potential," Akihiko explained, unfeeling towards Yukari as she sulked. "I told him about us and he said he'd help."

"This can't be real... I must be in a nightmare..." Yukari was completely rejecting it all, shaking her head back and forth in disbelief.

"Nope, not a dream. Actually, he found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by coffins. Embarrassing, huh?" He admitted, cheering Yukari up.

"That _does_ sound like you..."

"Man, I was shocked when I found out about you guys. I had no idea," Junpei rubbed the back of his neck, laughing to himself. "I'm glad I'm not the only one, though. I'd be kinda lonely, don't 'cha think? But, I bet your stoked too, havin' me join..."

"Uh... S-sure..." Yukari offered weakly.

"That's enough with the introductions," Akihiko piped. "I think we're finally ready..."

"Ooh, we gonna do somethin'?" Junpei pried, bouncing in his shoes.

"With this many people, we could finally start exploring there..." Akihiko smirked. He was a little battle crazy in the beginning, wasn't he?

"You mean Tartarus?" Yukari inquired. There it was.

"Tartarus? What's that? ... Sounds like toothpaste," Junpei questioned, confused.

"We believe we can find the truth behind the dark hour there," Akihiko continued, eying him curiously at his word comparison.

"I sure hope so," Yukari didn't sound so sure, but nodded along. Minato nodded too. He knew that their assumption was correct, but he was more agreeing with Yukari's statement of being hopeful to end the dark hour.

"The chairman will give us the details tomorrow, so be ready." At that, Minato went back up to his room with a curt nod, reading for a while before he began to yawn almost as much as he blinked. He didn't prep any, just changing into sleepwear and crashing before he even made it under the covers.

* * *

April Twentieth, 2009

Next full moon in: 19 days

* * *

The sun rose and so did Minato. Getting ready, he headed off to school. He was really tired, but managed to stay awake during the class, especially after he spotted one of the trees outside that was shaped like a sword. It almost reminded him of hedges, the whole design trimmed to perfection. Lunch rolled around soon after, Minato scarfing it all down in a frenzy. Yukari got up to stretch, yawning.

"Geez, I almost fell asleep back there..." She sighed, pulling out her own lunch to eat. She groggily rubbed her eyes, shoveling some rice into her mouth lazily. That's when Mitsuru decided to enter the room, garnering attention and hushed whispers from the other students.

"Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to announce," She instructed, eying Minato and his peers.

"Oh, okay..." Yukari nodded with her. Junpei had a blank expression before it broke out into a toxic grin.

"We havin' _that_ talk, huh?" Minato facepalmed, covering up his gentle chuckling by pretending to hate his very existence.

"I'll go over the details later. See you there." She gave a slight bow and walked off, leaving the three to finish their lunches. Junpei broke the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"Wow, she didn't waste any time with leaving..."

"I don't blame her," Minato grumbled. Junpei scoffed.

"And, what's that supposed to mean?!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms.

"I mean, she probably has a full plate as is. Coming here to tell us, no matter now trivial, most likely threw off her schedule," He explained, raising as eyebrow. "What, did you think I was talking about you?"

"N-no! Of course not!" He retorted. Yukari frowned.

"Yeah, whatever..." She went straight back to eating, eyes uncaring. She didn't care too much for Mitsuru until they had a heart to heart during summer vacation, but seeing her act this way made him feel bad. _What a pity..._

Class resumed as usual, another boring lesson drilled into their brains until the bell rang to put it all to an end. Minato and Junpei left together, walking through the strip mall and telling inappropriate jokes in loud whispers. They made it back, stepping inside and taking seats beside the other club members.

"Good, everyone's here," Ikutsuki began. "Now, I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only persona users we had. But, that number has recently jumped from two to five. Therefore... Starting tonight at 12:00 am, I'd like to commence the first proper exploration of Tartarus."

"Sorry, I asked this yesterday, but... what's Tartarus?" Junpei asked.

"I forgot you haven't seen it yet," Yukari commented with a sigh.

"It's no surprise. It only appears during the dark hour," Ikutsuki further explained. Minato knew what he was talking about, but had to remind himself that he wouldn't really know of the dark hour at this point.

"The dark hour...?" Junpei seemed even more confused. Akihiko didn't seem to have explained very much. Knowing him, he probably just gushed about the shadow fighting and world saving.

"Just like shadows... Interesting, huh?" Akihiko smirked. Yep. That was definitely the face of someone who would invite another to join a serious cause based solely on the promise of fighting. "And, it's the perfect place for us to train. I guess you could consider it a 'shadow nest'."

"Whoa... Their nest, huh...?" Junpei grinned, stoked.

"But, Senpai... What about your injury?" Yukari inquired. She was good with healing spells, but still seemed to belittle herself and her abilities. That always upset Minato, if only a little.

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered, he'll only accompany us to the entrance," Mitsuru emphasized, pinning Akihiko with a vicious, pensive glare.

Yeah, I know..." He carped, clearly annoyed and disappointed.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain if you don't go too far in," Ikutsuki assured, fixating his gaze on Akihiko as well.

"Yeah, sure," He reluctantly complied.

"Since we work against shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can overlook and ignore," Ikutsuki finished. Most everyone in the room looked pretty tense, until Junpei spoke up.

"Relax! I've got your backs!"

He gave a childish thumbs up and wink for added effect. Minato shook his head. Way to ruin the mood... Yukari added her own opinions after a moment of awkward silence.

"I'm not so sure about this..." She directed her eyes at Junpei specifically, then back to Ikutsuki.

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru brought up. Ikutsuki laughed.

"I'll just stay here, out of your way," He answered. "I wouldn't be much use anyway, since I can't summon a persona myself."

"Bummer," Jumpei coughed into his fist. "So, we're going at midnight?"

"Yes, that is when the dark hour begins," Ikutsuki nodded. The current time was 3:27 pm. They definitely had some time to kill.

"'Ey, Minato! Wanna grab some food at wild duck burger?" Junpei proposed restlessly. Minato immediately drew in a breath, his eyes going wide. He _loved_ duck burgers. Maybe even more than life itself.

" _YES_."

The two headed off, deciding to eat in the restaurant. They even hung out there afterwards, unwilling to go back to the perpetual boredom of waiting with nothing to do. Eventually, they did return and went their separate ways, each to their personal rooms. Minato flopped on his bed, rolling around to get a view of the clock. It roughly read 4:11 pm, earning a groan from Minato. He did still have those books from Mitsuru, but he didn't feel the mood to finish them. He didn't want to start up on Innocent Sin, only out of fear that he might ruin his relationship with Ms. Toriumi if he did. Watching TV would be a gamble and could easily serve to waste his energy and nothing else, too. Absolutely nothing seemed appealing. That's when an idea struck. He headed out to Paulownia mall, more specifically the arcade. He brought some spare change he happened to have lying around and played the games expertly for a good while. He would glance around every once in a while to try and find a clock, which made him wish he just had a wristwatch. Once he finally died in a first-person shooter game he was playing, he walked around until he just asked an employee what the time was. He said it was somewhere around 6:00. That left Minato with six more hours of randomly doing stuff to pass the time.

He finally decided to head home, keen on hanging out with someone- anyone. And, by chance, Yukari was in the lounge, looking over a magazine. His entrance caught her attention, dropping the magazine down to expose her whole face to him.

"Where did you go?" She asked him curiously. He shrugged.

"Just the arcade. It was pretty boring after a while, though."

"Oh, I've never bothered to go..." Yukari mused. Minato joined her on the opposing couch, the two sitting in silence.

"So, don't you have club activities or something?" He spoke up. He'd never really understood the whole thing, like why it was okay not to show up.

"I did, but we had to come back early, remember?" Yukari sighed. "Ugh, I'm so bored..."

"Same here," Minato weakly chuckled. He knew her pain. Back before he came to Tatsumi Port Island, he'd spend his time listening to music and browsing the internet for entertainment. But, about halfway through his first year here, he'd begun to push that lifestyle away, eventually preferring to spend his time outdoors with his friends. Of course, his friend list was limited now, and all included were in the same boat, so that was ruled out as a possibility early on. "Hey, do you want to stop by the strip mall maybe and get something?"

Yukari pondered this for a few moments.

"Eh, it beats sitting here and doing nothing, so sure," She decided, standing with a smile. Minato led the way out, walking alongside her as they approached the station. They stopped by the Octopia takoyaki stand, enjoying eachother's company and the idle chatter they produced. As the sky turned from light blue to pink, they decided to head back.

"So, what are your thoughts on Neo Featherman?" Yukari inquired, hands tucked behind her back as they walked home.

"I love that show! When I was really little, my parents bought me an action figure of Feather Blue," Minato responded, watching the sky as he brought up his parents. Thinking back to that time... there was so much he didn't remember about them. He did recall his sister getting a Feather Pink figurine alongside him, and him bragging about how his was better. They started to fight, until their parents intervened. He hadn't even considered recalling that event in some time... In the explosion, his figurine had flown out of his hand and his sister's had smacked him in the face. All that was left of the two was one blue arm and a Feather Pink minus an arm and leg. He compensated and added the Feather Blue arm to the pink action figure, which he held dear. He vaguely remembered seeing it packed away in his suitcase upstairs.

"Oh... It must be hard, losing both parents... I mean, I could hardly stand losing one," Yukari murmured apologetically, her eyes downcast and watching the ground. Minato smiled sadly.

"Losing my parents was one thing, but... Losing them _and_ my sister, all on the same night was another..." He felt the sting of tears burn behind his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. "It was like... my whole world was ripped out from under me." Yukari gazed knowingly at him, pity in her eyes as they continued down the sidewalk. "But... I think I was finally able to recover, because..." He trailed off.

"Because...?" Yukari softly prompted, watching for his answer expectantly. His smile returned as he turned to face her.

"Because I finally have friends. _Real_ friends, _true_ friends. The kind of friends that I can count on to help me through thick and thin," He explained, wearing a serene expression on his face as he faced her with bold eyes. It was as if he was challenging her to feel sad for him. He knew and accepted what had happened, and he felt as though he no longer needed nor deserved pity from others. He was done pitying himself. Yukari, as at loss for words, simply returned it with a grateful smile, the remainder of their walk left in peaceful silence as they approached the dorm. The sky was turning a blazing, dying orange with purple creeping in along the horizon line and spreading outwards when they reached the dorm, Minato pulling the door open for his female companion as they parted ways to their bedrooms.

Once inside, Minato mindlessly grabbed his suitcase and opened it, revealing the worn Feather Pink figurine at the top bearing one mismatched Feather Blue right arm and a missing left leg. He gazed at the tattered toy endearingly, the face of his twin sister appearing in his mind's eye. The only difference between the two in those days, he recalled, was their difference in eye color. Hamuko had fiery brown, nearly red eyes that stood out alongside his slate grey eyes. He had taken a liking to the color blue in 1999, only five years old but plenty demanding. He had started wearing his hair in a different shade back then, never fully committing to it but dying it when he finally earned the privilege through minor chores. The memories...

He set the action figure on his desk beside his laptop, pulling out one of Mitsuru's books to finally finish. In the golden haze of his room at sunset, Minato sat on his bed, book in hand, plowing through as many chapters as he was comfortable with. Minutes turned to hours, and, as he was wrapping it all up, he was summoned downstairs at last. Swinging around the last of the staircase, he landed in the lounge, where he found Yukari, Mitsuru and Akihiko waiting.

"Are you ready?" Mitsuru questioned, her red gaze piercing Minato. He jumped a bit and stood in both fear and shock before regaining his confidence and nodding. "Good. We're just waiting for Iori, then." As she spoke, a loud bang was heard from higher up, followed by a groan of pain. Junpei managed to claw his way down the remaining steps, clutching his side as he came. What happened?

"Sorry, I had to do somethin' before I could leave..." He explained in a strained voice.

"Are you okay?" Yukari asked, crossing her arms. He sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"If you say so..." Yukari shrugged, turning to Mitsuru. "Senpai? Should we be leaving?"

"Yes. Akihiko and I know the way, so follow us," Mitsuru nodded, leading the group out the door. Her and Akihiko were at the lead, Yukari following closely behind and Minato taking the rear with Junpei in fear of somehow losing him.

"You sure you're okay? What happened?" Minato asked, puzzled. Junpei shook his head, still holding his left side.

"You don't wanna know..."

They took a short yet roundabout way to reach the school, as if the others didn't want Minato and Junpei to know where they were going. They left around 11:00, walking the entire length to Gekkoukan high before finally arriving at the closed gates with a few minutes to spare. By this point, Junpei had recovered and Yukari took up the rear, walking behind the other members of SEES. Upon stopping, Akihiko pulled out his phone to check the time, Junpei beginning to look very confused.

"This is it? _This_ is the place?" He exclaimed. Minato had the same reaction in his mind the first time he came here, too.

"Just wait a few minutes..." Akihiko mumbled quietly, intently watching his phone for the strike of midnight. "It's almost midnight." They seemed to either be really lucky or have the best timing ever, because as soon as the words left his mouth, the moon turned green and the atmosphere became soul crushing. They were already in a dark area, but the green hue seemed to enhance the effect of darkness as the shadows grew sharper. And, before their very eyes, the school began to transform. It rose higher and higher up, the very concrete stretching like silly putty. It contorted around itself, new pieces jutting from the ground to add onto the growing tower. It wove around and into itself chaotically, almost without purpose. Almost. Until, finally, before them stood the tower of death itself. Tartarus.

"This is Tartarus. It is the labyrinth that reveals itself during the dark hour," Mitsuru caught their attention, getting on with business as always.

"What? What happened to our school?!" Junpei demanded frantically. He looked from Mitsuru to Akihiko confusedly.

"Once it passes, everything will return to normal," Mitsuru assured him.

"Then, this is that 'nest' you were talking about?" He asked slowly, reality sinking in. "But, why? Why'd our school turn into a giant freakin' tower?!" Mitsuru and Akihiko exchanged glances guiltily. "You don't know either?" He sure was feeling very questioney today, wasn't he?

"... No," Mitsuru reluctantly admitted, crossing her arms.

"I'm sure it's very complicated," Yukari waved it off. Minato had forgotten how calm she'd been. She must've seen it firsthand before. "Who really cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting, right?" She couldn't have possibly been more wrong. It certainly changed Minato's mind about fighting, but he wasn't suddenly opposed. It made him reevaluate why he was fighting and improved his morals.

"Well, we might find out," Akihiko sounded hopeful, glancing towards Mitsuru as if to assure her. "We've only ever gone in for a quick peek. This will be our first full scale exploration of it. There has to be a clue about the dark hour in there..."

"While I respect your enthusiasm, you won't be accompanying us inside today," Mitsuru reminded him, sending him a piercing gaze.

"I know... You don't have to rub it in," He groaned unceremoniously, pouting like a small child being denied his favorite toy. She sighed.

"Come on, let's get inside," Mitsuru prompted, motioning for the others to follow. She began to climb the fence, Akihiko following her closely. Yukari and Junpei took a second to process the command, Minato already grabbing for the gate by the time they hustled over. They all landed safely on the other side, walking in a tandem as they poured into the tower single file. They all arrived in a wide room held up by pillars. Before them was a giant clock that served as the entrance to Tartarus, with a few other things scattered about, such as two blue, glowing doors standing next to eachother as well as a golden statue-like structure and a motorcycle.

"Whoa... It's just as cool inside," Junpei murmured, in awe. The entrance was rather neat, complete with two velvet rooms, multiple helpful, magic-based structures and a motorcycle. Just... A motorcycle. Was there really anything else to say?

"It's kinda creepy..." Yukari didn't sound so sure, drawing her arms closer to her body naturally.

"This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the door in the clock up there," Mitsuru pointed to the huge clock-door.

"Before we do anything major, we'll let you three get a feel for this place," Akihiko added. "Have a look around."

"Wha- By ourselves?!" Yukari gasped in concern and fear.

"We don't want you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here," Mitsuru tried to calm them.

"So, you two didn't even plan on goin' inside in the first place?" Junpei inquired slowly, his tone a bit on the sad side.

"Basically. We're also going to appoint a leader to make the decisions," Akihiko answered calmly.

"Leader...? Ooh, pick me, pick me!" Junpei jumped at the idea of leading the team, raising his hand and bouncing about wildly. Akihiko deadpanned at him, looking to Minato instead.

"... You're in charge," He decided, Junpei immediately taking the offensive.

"Him? Why him? He doesn't even look like a leader!"

"Firstly, he has confronted shadows before," Mitsuru explained.

"R-really?!" Junpei cut her off, looking from her to Minato. Minato smirked slyly and just shrugged.

"Secondly... Can either of you summon your personas without hesitation, like him?" Mitsuru finished, addressing Yukari and Junpei.

"T-totally!" Junpei defended, trying too hard to sound cool.

"I think so..." Yukari nodded quietly.

"These are shadows we're talking about. Without a persona, you're screwed," Akihiko reminded them.

"I'm aware of that," Yukari retorted quietly. Was she disappointed about last time?

"Wait... Can we at least look around here?" Minato proposed. Mitsuru contemplated this for a bit.

"Alright, that's fine. Don't take too long, though. We only have an hour."

Minato nodded firmly. He immediately turned to his left, eying the two doors that glowed with a welcoming blue light. On the right, the door was the old version he recognized. On the left, a car door was floating in midair, which revealed it to be the door to the future velvet room. He decided to get the next meeting with the past room over and done with first, promising to come back later to get what he needed from Elizabeth. He used the velvet key to unlock it, turning the knob and pushing the door in to step into the light.

* * *

Velvet Room (Past)

* * *

The shine subsided, Minato walking up to his chair which had Orpheus' instrument serve as the back. He stood before it and Igor, watching the two velvet residents across the way.

"I've been waiting for you. The time had come for you to wield your power," Igor grinned. "The tower you are about to enter... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you aren't yet capable of answering these questions... That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

"What do you mean?" Minato tilted head, posing an appropriate question for his placement in time.

"Your power is unique. It's like the number zero. Empty, yet it holds infinite possibilities. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple personas and summon them as needed," Igor cheered. He sounded almost envious. "And, when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility open to you. There will be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Please, keep that in mind. My spare time is growing scarce, but please, do come again of your own accord. I will then tell you of my true role and the manner in which I can best assist you. Until then... Farewell."

* * *

Tartarus (Present)

* * *

His goodbye rang like a bell as the world was consumed by bright light, Minato soon finding himself staring blankly at the past door. Thankfully, Yukari and Junpei seemed too fidgety to really notice. So, he went and used his same velvet key on the car door, opening it via the slick, jet black handle.

* * *

Velvet Room (Future)

* * *

He stepped into the vehicle, the eye-bleedingly bright glow stinging Minato's eyes ferociously. He stepped over to sit on the available seat, finding only Elizabeth seated across from him.

"Welcome back, Minato," She greeted. "I believe you have business with me?"

"Yes," He nodded, "I need to withdraw a persona from the compendium."

"Which one?"

"Forneus," Minato stated, looking Elizabeth seriously in the eye. "Level seven, manta ray thing?" Elizabeth scrolled through the pages of his persona compendium, scanning the pages for Forneus. He'd figured that Forneus would be a good persona to start with, as it was a low enough level to make things challenging, but was also a high enough level to alleviate major stress.

"Ah! It's right here," She sent a light spiraling up, a glowing tarot card appearing in his ready hand. He saw the faint blue outline of Forneus, a sea monster spirit who fell from grace and had a way with languages, appear before him as the card became one with his body. "Is that all?"

"Yes, for now. Thank you," Minato bowed gratefully, once again shuffling his way out of the door as the realm outside it grew in intensity.

* * *

Tartarus (Present)

* * *

He plopped out of the door, stumbling haphazardly into the entrance room of Tartarus. He could feel Forneus' unique power bubbling within him, giving him access to the skills Bufu, Bash and Tarukaja at it's current level. Yukari was standing, ready, next to her senpais while Junpei was still looking around in every nook and cranny. He walked up to her, and spoke.

"I'm ready."

"Good. Now, we're just waiting on Junpei..." She watched the aforementioned with an annoyed glint in her eyes that was able to make Minato go quiet. After a couple more minutes, Junpei finally ran to join them.

"Okay! I'm done!" He called. "Let's go already!"

"Alright. I'll lead the way," Minato made his way to the clock entranceway, pausing to make sure his comrades were following before ducking and sliding through.

"Good luck," Mitsuru could be heard behind them as they left, treading along a pitch black hallway. At the end, a colored light and stairs could be seen, the makeshift team going up the stairs to find themselves within the first block of Tartarus; Thebel.

"This is it, huh?" Junpei took a look around. The floor was tiled with strange patterns trailing along the sides, a circular pattern in the center of a three way intersection of halls. "It's not so scary."

"I just hope I don't get lost," Yukari sighed, surveying the area alongside Junpei.

" **Can you all hear me?** " Mitsuru's voice echoed in their heads, loud and clear.

"Whoa! Is that you, senpai?" Junpei queried, very clearly afraid.

" **I'll be providing audio backup from here on out** ," She clarified.

"Wait... Y-you mean, you can see in here?!" Junpei faltered. He looked around wildly to find some sort of gadget she could possibly be using? Minato wasn't exactly sure...

" **It's my persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes everyday. That's why outside support is imperative.** "

"Well, _that_ makes me feel much better..." Yukari scoffed, the sarcasm in her voice reaching astronomical levels.

" **Now, based on your current position, you can expect to encounter some enemies. They shouldn't be very tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect.** "

"Right!" Junpei saluted eagerly, steeling himself to look as tough as possible.

"Got it," Yukari concurred, nodding vigorously. "... Why is she always like that..." Her underhanded comment didn't go unnoticed by Minato, who didn't respond directly.

"Come on," He prompted, beckoning the others to follow him as he started forward. He ran down the hall before them, finding a briefcase. He opened it with relative ease, revealing a small dosage of medicine inside. He turned back and went to the other open path, soon finding a shadow before him.

" **Watch out! Try to run in and hit it first!** "

Minato followed her instructions, sprinting forward to nail the dark blob with his katana. The three circled it, the blob adopting a sinister blue mask as it was revealed to be a cowardly maya. Mitsuru didn't speak up this time about if he wanted to learn the rules of fighting, which saved a lot of time. Raising his gun-shaped evoker to his head, Minato pulled the trigger, releasing Forneus from the sea of his soul. The sea beast floated menacingly above him and he yelled out a command.

"Bufu!"

The attack connected and, although not as effective as it could've been, it destroyed the maya without problem. A snuff soul descended into his hand.

"Nice!" Junpei cheered, patting Minato on the back. "Your persona rocks!"

"Uh..." What should he do? Should he explain that his true persona is Orpheus Telos? _Could_ he? "... Thanks...?"

" **Great job, everyone. Now, back to exploring.** "


	7. Calm Before the Storm

**Hey guys! Sorry this took a while... I was busy with stuff and had a test to pass. Anyway, the seventh chapter is finally here!**

 **The real insanity will commence next chapter! For now, enjoy the planning and preluding this chapter has to offer! :3**

* * *

Tartarus (Present)

* * *

Exploration was going well, Minato and company destroying all of the shadows on the floor, one at a time. They were just finishing up, Mitsuru calling them back for the night when a few shadows appeared out of nowhere, blocking the stairwell leading down.

"Wh-what the-!" Junpei exclaimed, taken aback. The black puddles wobbled their way closer to the trio.

"Get back!" Yukari cried, throwing her arm out for added effect. Minato gritted his teeth. This didn't happen before. Was it a boss? The masses twisted together, countless hands outstretching into pitch dark wings. The masks changed to a dull, metallic copper color and moved down, a sharp point forming into a beak on the face. The rest of the body shifted accordingly, taking on the form of a raven. It gained red eyes, the mask imbedding itself in it's newly made chest. Tail feathers sprouted from it, the tips turning an ember orange along with the wings. Another object took form in the creature's jet black talons, an old lantern lit with gorgeous candle light that utilized not only warm colors like orange and red, but also a dazzling purple tone and a calming blue.

"CAAAAAWWWWWW!" It crowed loudly, the inside of it's mouth revealed to be a shimmering void of emptiness.

"Tch..." Minato stared it face on, stepping up to face the new creation fearlessly. It was a Vicious Raven shadow, an enemy that wasn't meant to appear until the upper half of the next Tartarus block, Arqa. For here and now, it would be needlessly tough and tenacious. He instinctively opened his hand, exposing his palm to the atmosphere as a tarot card appeared in it, glowing with a blue light. Then, he realized what he was about to do. Wait! He couldn't mess things up any more with summoning Orpheus Telos like this... He looked to the ground as he willed the card away, gripping his sword with both hands once more. What could he do? The best bet he had to keep things going how they were supposed to was to take on the shadow before them with just Forneus, which was easier said than done. Thankfully, if memory served right, it should be weak to ice attacks like Forneus' Bufu skill.

"What're we gonna do?!" Junpei asked frantically, searching from Minato to Yukari for answers.

"Forneus! Use Bufu!" Minato called out, unleashing his temporary persona. Forneus sent an icy wave at the overly powered shadow, knocking it off it's feet in one smooth movement.

" **Arisato! Everyone! Are you all right?** " Mitsuru's voice rang in their heads. She had cut contact with them after commanding them to return to the entrance, so she must've picked up on the shadow reading and reached out to them in desperation.

"We're all fine, for now. A few shadows melted together into a more powerful foe, though. It's blocking our exit," Minato reported vigilantly, never tearing his eyes off of the monstrous bird. Junpei was too freaked out to react properly and Yukari was hesitant, so Minato called Forneus again. Wait... Something was off. The shadow clawed it's way back to it's feet, becoming airborne with one flap of it's powerful wings.

" **Alright... just try to take it down for now. Exploit it's weakness and strike!** "

"Forneus!" He shot, but a different feeling crossed him. Instead of Forneus' calm, cooling feeling, this was wild, crackling and popping with a fierce tenacity. This was... A brain-like creature floated above his head instead, awaiting his command. "... Omoikane...?!" He was shocked. The persona he called out of the compendium and the one he'd been fighting with this entire time was suddenly a different persona all together! What happened?! Not only was Forneus replaced, but with one of Minato's least favorite personas... Omoikane was eerie in a way, unsettling to the normally tough-skinned Minato on _so many_ levels. Something about a giant, floating brain with numerous eyes gave him the chills and painfully creepy flashbacks of Parasyte. He immediately assessed his skills. Zio, Dia and Patra. Not bad... "Zio!"

This attack sent the creature reeling, sending it to the ground again. What? It wasn't weak to electric skills...

"Nice! Io, use Garu!" Yukari finally acted, sending a weak wind attack at the creature. It barely ruffled the raven's feathers, as the creature was a Garu user itself.

"Yeah! And, take this!" Junpei cheered. "Agi!" Minato opened his mouth to stop him, but didn't say anything when he saw that the flames regularly affected the beast. Why didn't it absorb fire anymore? What in the world was going on?!

" **Wind skills aren't going to work, but fire, ice and electric skills should be just fine,** " Mitsuru informed. Minato mindlessly nodded along. Was this the punishment for changing the past? The penalty was the past further shifting? ...That couldn't be good.

"Omoikane! Zio!" Minato commanded again, firmly aiming at the fallen shadow's chest to knock it back farther. Junpei smirked and looked to Yukari, who nodded.

"Agi! Garu!" They called together, Hermes and Io appearing to send a fiery whirlwind towards the fallen bird. They had figured out how to perform this skill, one they dubbed 'Fire Storm', a couple fights ago, and found it to be quite effective, as they could hit all enemies with mild fire and wind magic. The bird let out a pitiful cry as it's body was torn into by the unrelenting flames that licked ravenously at it, dark smog coming off of it as it was slowly being destroyed. Time to finish it!

"Omoikane! Use Zio!" Minato finished, his new persona sending a weak bolt of electricity at their foe. It began to smoke, a pitiful shriek coming from it's open beak.

"CAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaawwwwwww...!" It grew lower pitched as more of it began to disintegrate into black particles. Consumed by the fog, the shadow slowly vanished... Except, it didn't. A tiny version of itself lay there, heaving weakly on it's side. Minato raised his brow, eying the raven curiously. Why was it smaller, but not destroyed? How did it survive? Minato shook the thoughts away. He raised the evoker to his head, poised to strike with Junpei following his lead.

" **Good job, everyone. Now's your chance! Finish it off!** "

"Wait!" Yukari interrupted suddenly. She gave the boys a hard stare and approached the miniscule enemy. She pet it gently, smoothing it's ruffled feathers and calling her persona. Io floated elegantly above her head, stooping lower to come closer to the raven. A gentle green light surrounded it, and Minato recognized it as the skill Dia. Why was she healing it?

"Yukari, what are you doing? That's dangerous!" Minato scolded, concerned. Yukari met him with a vicious, murderous glare, causing Minato to halt completely.

"It's injured, and no longer a threat. I don't sense the same readings as it had before... I think it's different," Yukari explained rather calmly, turning back to the avian with worried eyes. Minato didn't know she had such a soft spot. She had always seemed violent and rash, blinded by her revenge and greed for knowledge, but this seemed almost... out of character for her, so to speak.

" **Takeba! What are you doing?! That is a dangerous shadow! Why are you healing it?!** " Mitsuru seemed taken aback by Yukari's gentle act as well. Yukari gazed upward defiantly.

"You heard me! I'm not going to kill it when it's in this state! And, no, I'm not changing my mind!" Yukari snapped, in a foul mood. She carefully scooped up the shadow and forcefully stomped her way down the stairs in rage.

" **T-Takeba!** " Mitsuru called out to her, to no avail. She signed in resignation. " **Come on back, you two. The dark hour is almost over.** " They obediently followed instructions, finding a bitter Akihiko and disapproving Mitsuru in the entrance room. They said nothing, but their expressions clearly conveyed how they felt about the situation. Yukari was acting very tsundere-esque, wrinkling her nose in disgust at her seniors as they attempted to pin her down with their powerful glares. She was stroking the bird softly, whispering by the looks of it as she looked back at the others.

"I know it's stupid, and dangerous," She murmured lowly. "I just... I think of myself when I see the poor little guy, and I want to help him. No one said shadows are inherently evil, anyway. Maybe we can get him on our side." Mitsuru sighed and shook her head.

"Shadows are violent and malicious. There is no benefit in trying to reason with them, or trying to help them. They are bound to none, and for good reason," Mitsuru grumbled, trying her hardest to not sound condescending or rude. "They lack the capacity to feel for others. They will mercilessly kill on their own agenda without hesitation."

"Have you even tried? You go on and on about how shadows are our enemies, but I wonder if maybe you have some sort of vendetta against them, hmm?" Yukari challenged arrogantly, bringing Mitsuru to flinch very, very slightly. She remained silent, watching the ground. "That's what I thought. Come on, we'd better head back before the hour is up." She finished a previously hidden little bed for the shadow, constructed with various ribbons, fabrics and... cotton? She set the raven shadow in it caringly, standing up with mild doubt in her movements. She marched forward with a daunting beat, plowing ahead as Junpei and Akihiko slowly followed. Mitsuru started off as well, leaving Minato to watch them.

Something was cinematic about the scene before him, watching Yukari break from the group to lead her own path. This trip had changed a lot compared to before, which left a slightly sour taste in his mouth. He took a couple steps after his friends, glancing over to the slumbering shadow for a moment. It seemed innocent enough, but Minato wasn't convinced. He opened his hand once more, Orpheus Telos' card appearing coolly on his warm palm. He could eliminate it now, cutting off all potential threats it could pose... But, what would Yukari think? How would this change things? Minato stared contemplatively at the tiny beast, mulling over his options. He thought long and hard, allowing the card within his grasp to once again slip away. With a worried gaze, he followed after his friends to return home at last.

* * *

April Twenty First, 2009

Next full moon in: 18 days

* * *

Rising a bit later in the morning, Minato made his way to school. Despite serving as the great seal for years, he quickly settled back into his old schedule with relative ease. As he reached the gates, a voice called out to his, cutting off his thoughts. Pausing his music and removing his headphones, Minato turned to find himself looking at a familiar face.

"Hey, you're Minato, right?"

"Right. Who are you?" Minato chose to play dumb once again, faking a confused expressions towards his future friend.

"I'm Kenji Tomochika. I heard from Junpei that you're really close with Yukari. What's up with that?" He pried straightforwardly. Minato smiled a bit. He was very much that way, that much he remembered. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm looking for someone with a little more experience anyway. There's a morning assembly today, so we'd better hurry." Minato nodded. He let Kenji go first before following him into the school and to the auditorium. Mitsuru had just officially been elected as student council president, and presented a speech after the main bulk of the assembly.

Class finally ended for the day, having dragged on as Ms. Toriumi talked about poetry. At last, there was nothing required of him and Minato was free to socialize as he pleased, which excited him instantly. He rushed out of the building, exploding out the doors just as some crazed fangirls started to fawn over Akihiko, who came out alongside him. Girls swarmed around him, Akihiko huffing angrily at their antics. Junpei picked this perfect time to walk up to Minato, watching the girls as they practically threw themselves at Akihiko.

"I know he's the captain of the boxing team 'n all, but who'd have thought he'd be such a chick magnet, am I right? At least I have an excuse to talk to him now," Junpei commented. He was still a flirter and horny beyond reasonable belief, which didn't seem to surprise Minato as he nodded along. Akihiko tried to walk beyond the tidal wave of girls assaulting him, but they followed him closely with every step. He literally growled at the swooning girls as he, much to his relief, spotted his friends watching from afar.

"Are you two busy this afternoon?" He inquired. There was a desperation in his gaze that Minato couldn't ignore, so he abandoned his original idea of lying his way out.

"Nah," He shrugged. Junpei nodded vigorously beside him, obviously giddy that Akihiko was chatting with him in front of so many girls.

"Then I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station. See 'ya there."

"Bye," Minato couldn't help the sly, almost pitiful smile that crept onto his face as he waved goodbye. He chuckled a bit as Akihiko struggled to continue forward, moving at the pace of a tortoise with the help of his fans. Minato looked to Junpei. "Think we should wait 'till he's gone or just leave?"

"Let's just go. He said he'd meet us there, right? He's lucky he's so popular..." Junpei started off, Minato following with a good natured roll of his eyes. Of course, that's when he noticed something strange. One girl out of the many was... floating in midair?! Minato did a double take, then a triple take. What?! Just what was he witnessing?! A girl was floating! _Floating_! He eyed her, both fearful and deeply curious as to how this was possible. Not affording to tear his eyes from her, he shook Junpei's shoulder to catch his attention.

"Hey, hey Junpei. Check this out!"

"Hmm? ...Hmm?!" Junpei must've seen her too, as he immediately grew rigid. The two friends exchanged questioning glances. They averted their eyes from the flying student and tried to act as natural as possible as they power-walked past the conglomeration of Akihiko fangirls. As they hoofed it towards the mall, they went along in heavy silence.

"So... That was... interesting?" Minato weakly offered.

"'Interesting' doesn't begin to describe it!" Junpei accidentally shouted, earning the attention of most, if not all, of the passersby. "Sorry..." He mumbled, embarrassed. "But, I mean it! That was insane!"

"I know! I was so dumbfounded by it... I just _had_ to show you! Plus, evidence," Minato agreed, taking on a tone similar to a gossiping girl. Junpei just nodded along.

"Geez... What was that about, anyway? Why was she floatin' in midair?" Junpei lowered his voice for his second question, careful to look and see if anyone was prying.

"I have no idea," Minato shook his head, lacking the answer to this question. He had the same question, in fact. Why did that happen? Was it because of his deviations? Or, did it always happen, and he'd never noticed it?

"Think we should tell Akihiko?" Junpei pondered. Minato though on that for a moment.

"Probably," He decided. "I think I'd like to know if one of _my_ fans was floating..."

"Yeah... When we get there, we'll tell 'em," Junpei agreed, pulling out a small, packaged snack from his pocket.

"Where did you get that?"

"Oh, this? I always bring some food with me, in case I get hungry," Junpei grinned, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Minato had to laugh at that. Of course Junpei would do something like that... The rest of the walk was minimal chatting and a few laughs here and there. They began to reach their destination, heading straight for the mall. They walked back to the police station, opening the door to find Akihiko conversing with an officer.

"Thank you, sir," Akihiko finished, nodding his appreciation to the law enforcer behind the counter. At the officer's curious stare towards Minato and Junpei, Akihiko explained, "Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier." The officer had a blank face, staring at them soullessly. "I was waiting for you guys."

"How did he get here before us?" Junpei whispered over to Minato, who still found himself pinned by the awkward air in the room.

Minato shook his head, not daring to break eye contact with the policeman, "No idea."

"This is Officer Kurosawa. He keeps our squad well-equipped," Akihiko continued. "And, this is from Ikutsuki-san." Akihiko handed them each 5,000 yen, which seemed rather feeble considering Minato's exploding wallet.

But, he smiled and said a gracious, "Thank you."

"Sweet!"

"You can't fight without a weapon, so buy something you like," Akihiko advised, motioning to Kurosawa. "Officer Kurosawa has connections, but these things still cost money."

"Of course they do. Nothing in life is free," Kurosawa finally spoke, his gruff and weathered tone and perspective on the matter matching to his appearance.

"I realize that... Well, I'll see you later. Thank you," Akihiko waved a farewell and exited the station, probably returning to the dormitory.

"I've been informed about you two. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer," He droned heartlessly. Ordinary? Hardly... "However, it doesn't take a genius to know that something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right. Now, I don't have much, but you should be able to find what you need." He offered up a plethora of items to the boys, from bows to swords and so on. He even had new duds for the two as well, which he had to the side.

"Umm... I think I'm fine for now, but I'll come back later," Minato graciously apologized.

Kurosawa huffed, "Suit yourself."

"Goodbye," Minato waved as he left. He stepped out into the familiar mall, the warm brown walls reminding of all the fun he'd had here. Of course, this isn't where he wanted to be. He headed to the train station near the school instead. He had learned that personas were the most important and useful way to burn through cash and that better gear could be acquired inside Tartarus. So, he decided to put his pocket change to good use and went to see a movie. An action movie marathon was playing, so Minato decided to stick around and watch them all.

 _Meanwhile..._

Yukari was walking home, hanging a right as she padded along the sidewalk. Today hadn't been the best, what with Ms. Toriumi's blatant hatred for the material she was supposed to be teaching among other things, but the calming tranquillity of the scenery around her brought a gentle smile to her troubled face. So caught up in her own world, Yukari stumbled into someone else walking down the street.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She immediately apologized, turning to find that the persona she bumped into wasn't fazed in the slightest. She fixated Yukari with a curious gaze. The mysterious woman was wearing a blue monotone dress with black, white and gold highlights here and there. She toted a bulky, wide brown book under one arm, raising her hand to her mouth as she giggled.

"It's quite alright. The fault is all mine," She bowed sincerely. Yukari couldn't find the right words to say. The woman was just so... strange. "I am Elizabeth. What is your name?"

"H-huh? My name? I'm Yukari Takeba," Yukari stuttered, still off her game. Just who was this person?

"Well then, Yukari-san, since I fumbled and collided with you, I believe I am obligated to provide compensation in the form of monetary exchange," Elizabeth continued. What? "Here." The woman handed Yukari ten thousand yen without even batting an eye.

"W-wait! I can't have this!" Yukari emitted, shoving the money back towards Elizabeth. She tilted her head.

"Hmm? Why not?"

"Because... it's your money, and you should keep it! I don't need or want it," Yukari again pushed the yen back to the oddball woman before her.

"Then, can I at least treat you to something?" Elizabeth offered, her mischievous grin never leaving her face.

"Umm... Sure. That sounds nice."

"Then, let us embark to the mall of shopping!"

 _Back to Minato..._

Having returned from his day at the movies, Minato opened the door to the dorm.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted. "I'd like to speak with you for a moment, please."

"What is it?" Minato made his way over to her, taking a seat on the opposing couch.

"It concerns our exploration of Tartarus. Since Akihiko is still healing, I'd like you to continue heading the team. You never know when a powerful shadow might appear. It's best to be prepared, or you might find yourself in a compromising situation. So, when you'd like to explore Tartarus, just let me know. Keep up the good work."

"Got it," Minato understood, nodding. He was accustomed to asking her and later Fuuka to tell the others that they were journeying into Tartarus, so he was perfectly fine with it staying the same. To be honest, he was really relieved. Everything, from Orpheus Telos to that floating student, concerned him greatly. What would come of those changes? How would it affect him and his friends? Igor had said that the alteration caused by Orpheus Telos' appearance would most likely affect him, but nothing seemed to be happening yet...

"I'm back!" Yukari called, breaking Minato's deep concentration. He smiled and waved a greeting to her.

"Hey. Welcome back."

"Hey," Yukari waved back. She seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.

"Something good happen?" Minato asked.

"Well, I met this really nice lady. We bumped into eachother and she offered to treat me to whatever I wanted. She was kinda strange, but really nice, and a good listener," Yukari explained. Minato couldn't help but lower his eyes. The description matched Elizabeth relatively closely, and it would make sense if she treated Yukari to something, since she didn't really understand how money worked... Was it her? Knowing the girl, it probably was...

"Well, I'm glad you had a good day," Minato pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for the moment, beaming pleasingly. "I'm headed up to my room!" He walked off, climbing the stairs to the next floor. What to do... He opened his door, falling onto his bed with a 'thunk!' and adjusting himself to get comfortable. _I should study..._ He yawned briefly, picking out some books and scrolling through the once-glossy pages. He took down notes and reviewed answers as he went, eventually becoming too tired to keep his eyes open. He put on his nightwear and tumbled his way to bed, snoring as he fell into slumber.


	8. Penalty

**Finally got this done! O_O Sorry this took awhile guys! Low muse and school starting back up postponed it for a bit, but here it is! I hope you enjoy this longer chapter! A lot happens... This is where the weirdness begins! Leave me your thoughts through reviews and PMs!**

* * *

? ? ? (Present)

* * *

The next few days were a bit of a blur, an increasingly aching headache plaguing Minato as he trudged on through class after class and a few Tartarus trips. At this point, he didn't even care what day of the week it was. He had begun to have stomach aches after the first day or two, his pounding headache worsening as he began to develop symptoms of illness. Experiencing hot flashes and shivering despite his extreme warmth and coolness. It was... April twenty fifth? Twenty fourth? He wasn't sure... He woke up with a dull groan, as his headache was still prevalent while he slowly rolled out of bed. It felt like an axe had been lodged inside of his skull, sending shocks of pain and misery crackling through his entire body. With every noise he heard, his head throbbed in response, like a secret language only a brain could speak. His getting prepared was drawn out and slow, as to not further worsen his already astronomically horrible aching head. He waddled on to school alone, a fair bit later than usual. As he sat through class, he gripped his head in pain. Ms. Toriumi was teaching today, for some reason or another, but Minato couldn't focus.

"Dude, you okay?" Junpei asked, looking genuinely concerned. Minato didn't respond, instead lightly shaking his head. Junpei raised his hand. "Hey, uh, Ms. Toriumi? Can I take him to the nurse's office? He isn't feeling very good," Junpei politely, helpfully piped. Ms. Toriumi gave him a hard stare, then looked to Minato.

"Fine. But, I expect you to be back here as soon as he's situated."

"Thanks," Junpei nodded mindlessly, helping Minato up as they stumbled down the hall. It felt like the walls were moving, shifting and turning before his very eyes. They eventually made it to the infirmary after what seemed like endless walking.

A nurse greeted them, "Hello. What seems to be the problem?"

"Uh, this guy here isn't feeling very good," Junpei explained, pointing to Minato, who slumped a bit as he leaned heavily against his friend.

"Alright, why don't you have a seat?" The nurse kindly prompted Minato, who obliged with shaky movements. She put a hand to his forehead first, eyes widening at his high temperature. She hastily grabbed a thermometer, holding it out to Minato. "Put this under your tongue, okay?" Minato nodded blankly, grabbing the device and plopping it into his mouth and under his tongue. After a few moments and a bit of awkwardness with Junpei watching on, the nurse pulled the thermometer out. The temperature read one hundred and six degrees fahrenheit. "One o' six?! You should be sent home immediately!" The nurse frantically exclaimed. "Is there anyone who can pick him up?"

"I don't think so... The only one of us not in class is Ikutsuki, but he's the chairman-"

"That'll do," The nurse cut him off abruptly, placing her hand to Minato's forehead once more. "You can go back to class now."

"Okay. Take care, bud," Junpei waved and left the room. Minato's eyes felt heavy... Everything after was a blur. He vaguely remembered the roar of a car... or was it the clitter-clack of train tracks? He couldn't be certain. Ikutsuki's voice was there, which actually eased Minato, despite his knowledge of the future. The world raced by in a muddled blur, time becoming relative. Minutes were months, hours were seconds and days were years to Minato as he was transported back to the dorm.

He opened his eyes carefully, meeting semi darkness and a familiar setting. Something wet was plastered onto his head haphazardly, Minato realizing that it was a wet washcloth. He layed there, sorting through his thoughts when he realized something. His headache had dissipated for the most part, a tiny twinge of aching in his head remaining. Whatever medicine he was given had certainly worked wonders. He sat up, his limbs weak from lack of energy. Fighting off... whatever he had definitely made a big difference on his condition. Sloth pulled on him, but he fought against it as he yawned and sat up gently. He held the towel in place on his head, feeling the cold water on his heated hand, but only registering the wetness on his forehead. He flipped it over, flinching when the coldness sent waves of pain not unlike a brain freeze cascading from his head down to his very toes. Something didn't feel right... He wasn't sure why, but something was definitely off. He forced himself to his feet, nearly tripping forward in the process. He glanced to his alarm clock. It read 12:48 p.m. So, they were still in class... When had he been taken home? What time was it? He sighed and continued forward without answering these questions. He had no answers to offer himself, and no one else was around. Curiosity led him to his mirror, wanting to see how bad he looked for even Junpei to have noticed his sickness. That's when he nearly screamed in surprise.

Had he not been accustomed to withdrawing his emotions within himself, he definitely would've screamed bloody murder then and there. Staring back at him through the mirror was himself, yes. But it wasn't quite the same as he remembered it. His hair, previously pristinely trimmed at a medium length, now reached his shoulder and possibly half an inch beyond. It was still all blue, thank goodness, but it wasn't the only thing to have changed. His anatomy had... shifted and morphed into a form alien for him to pilot, but familiar to the eye. You probably caught on by now. Minato had somehow swapped genders. He could do nothing but stare in unadulterated disbelief, his body frozen in time, as he took in the situation.

"Well then..." Her voice was a tad higher, but still in the husky range, and carried over that same blandness when she desired. "That's weird," She uttered the understatement of the century. Weird didn't even _begin_ to describe it! Countless thoughts crossed her mind, but she didn't act on any of them. She needed to calm down... and take a deep breath. She considered that she was perhaps hallucinating, and that nothing had changed, but shook it off. The drastic change in her body shape was indicator enough that something had happened.

Thankfully, despite the obvious shift in body structure, her hands and arms still looked and felt about the same. Same slightly dry skin with the peeling patch in her left palm. Same long, nimble fingers. Same relatively scrawny legs. Same slate grey eyes. She didn't feel too different either. Moving was the same, but a little funky. Her center of gravity had shifted a tad, which is what she realized she felt was off, but moving was still essentially the same. What had happened to cause this, though? That's when it hit her. _Orpheus Telos..._ It seemed that she had finally received the punishment for changing the past.

Great...

Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by the pouty rumbling of her stomach, demanding food to digest. She didn't get breakfast, as she felt slightly queasy, but she was now ravenous and found her body moving before she could keep up. She was barefoot, but still in her uniform. The outer jacket had been taken off along with her MP3 player and headphones, but the now baggy white shirt was still clinging desperately to her transformed body.

Minato found herself feeling a lot better, her vision restored and headache almost nonexistent as she arrived at the first floor. Walking to the kitchen, she scoured the cupboards and fridge for a sickness-friendly snack. She settled on a package of salted crackers, as she didn't want to further upset her stomach, and immediately dug in. As she ate, Minato slowly calmed down. _Okay... Everything's fine... Oh, who am I kidding? Myself, actually..._ Her thoughts were jumbled, resorting to her deadpan and literalistic sense of humor as a means to cope. First that floating girl, now this?! Just _what_ was going on? She considered calling Elizabeth, but ultimately declined. She was embarrassed enough as is, and she could really do without Liz's poking fun at. She only had a handful of hours until her friends returned anyway, and she wanted to get this sorted in a friendly, supporting environment. Of course, since she had all that time, she decided to do what she had started later during her first experience of these events. Something that also happened to calm her very efficiently. Time to start the hermit social link.

 _Meanwhile..._

Junpei stretched, standing up after simultaneous hours of sitting and pretending to listen. He was feeling a little sleepy, yawning as he looked around for his buddy. Wait... Oh yeah. Minato was sent home. And, by _himself_ no less. He stratched the back of his neck.

"Geez... Now I'm gonna be bored..." He mumbled dejectedly. "Hope he gets better, though." He grabbed his bag and swung out of the room, heading downstairs to the main entrance. As he boarded a train just in the nick of time, he watched the ocean zip by while he zoned out. Minato had been holding his head in obvious pain, his face was a tomato red and he was shivering at the time. He would feel bad if he just let him be. Plus, it gave him a nice excuse to skip a bit of class. He couldn't help his worry, though, as he recalled the nurse's reaction to his temperature. He was surprised that Ikutsuki had actually dropped everything to take Minato home, but he supposed it was another duty of his.

The train came to a stand-still, everyone fighting to exit. Junpei shoved his way past many classmates as he popped into the station platform. From there, he walked the distance to the dorm, passing many classmates and other young adults as they shuffled down the sidewalks. His legs went into autopilot, Junpei wondering if Yukari would beat him home again. He hung a sharp right and found the dorm waiting for him.

Junpei had to admit, besides Minato's illness, things were looking up. Now, he found that he had a large group of close friends, super powers that only a select few could develop and tons of possibilities open to him. He smiled at the thought. It reminded him of that night... He'd met a stray dog, a Shiba Inu by the looks of it, and had consoled in it. It was that night that he awakened to his potential. Funny how fate throws you curve balls like that.

He approached the door to the dorm, pushing it open quietly as he stepped inside. What to do now... He'd considered maybe going to see a movie or trying to hang out with one of his friends, but quickly decided against it. Yukari wouldn't want to hang out, Mitsuru would probably be busy and Akihiko would be off doing club things or more teleporting stuff. He settled on going up first to check on Minato, as his worry was still present and he wanted the whole ordeal out of sight and out of mind if he planned to lazily relax and mope around. So, he went up the stairs to the second floor. Turning and walking to the end of the hall, he found Minato's door on the right. He knocked.

"Hey, Minato? You feelin' better?" He called through the wooden blockade. Silence. For a few moments, anyway.

Soon, a voice on the other side responded, "Yeah, I'm feeling better." Junpei was a bit surprised at this. That voice... It was definitely Minato's, yes. But... it didn't sound right. Maybe it was worse than he thought...

"Hey, uh, you mind if I come in?"

"H-huh? No! I mean, yes!" What was that supposed to mean? Junpei shrugged and tugged at the knob. "What are you-"

"I'm comin' in!" Junpei announced boldly. He didn't want Minato to hide stuff from him. If he was even worse now, they might need to admit him to the hospital or something! He swung open the door, a force previously pushing it against him finally giving in. He looked around at the room. The bed was disheveled, there were various packages scattered about and the mirror was crooked. Where was Minato?

"Geez... I wanted to wait, 'ya know!" Minato's voice griped. Junpei scanned the room for him. "Down here." Junpei directed his gaze downward to find... What. It wasn't a question, just a statement. What. The actual- Minato, or at least some kind of look alike, was on the ground, arms crossed. The biggest surprise was that they were female and looked strikingly similar to his emo teenager acquaintance.

"Who the hell are you?!" Junpei exclaimed, pointing his finger at the stranger in accusation. They sighed.

"It's Minato..." They murmured defeatedly.

"WHAT?!"

"I know, I know. Trust me, I was surprised too," The girl, Minato apparently, assured. "I don't know why or how this happened. I just woke up like this. I wanted to wait until you all got home..."

"Wh-wh... H-huh?!" Junpei was at a loss for words. How? Why? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!

"Do you mind sticking around until everyone else gets here?" Minato asked pleadingly. "I'll... get you donuts? Maybe?" Junpei didn't think there was much of another option, but decided to take Minato up on her offer.

"Okay, but you owe me a box of donuts for this!" Minato rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course..."

 _Back to Minato..._

Minato sat uncomfortably on a couch in the lounge of the dormitory, her fingers fidgeting. She suddenly grew very aware of how strange her situation was, and secretly wished that she'd just kept herself secluded inside her room. The other members of SEES all watched her expectantly, their eyes piercing into her very soul as she watched her lap in hopes of an escape.

"So... What exactly happened?" Mitsuru tried to ease the pressure by breaking the ice, leaving room for Minato to respond. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm... not sure. When I woke up, I was already like this. I figured I should tell you all about it, which is why we're having this meeting in the first place," Minato eased into regular speech patterns, relaxing a bit more with each word she spoke. Yukari seemed shocked by her change of vocal range, while Junpei nodded along knowingly.

"Hmm... That is strange. Nothing of this sort has ever happened before," Mitsuru uttered, mostly to herself. "Do you have any idea why this might've happened?" Oh, she definitely had a solid idea. It was her changing the course of history that did it, but she couldn't disclose that information until January...

"No, I'm not sure why this suddenly happened," Minato shrugged. What she said next grabbed everyone's attention in an instant. "But, I think my illness was actually meant to predate... _this_."

"Predate? Are you saying that you getting sick was part of this happening?" Yukari inquired, seemingly very confused and lost in the conversation. Minato nodded.

"Yes. You all saw how bad I was doing. Thing is, when I woke up, my headache was completely gone and I felt pretty much fine, save for the whole genderswap thing," Minato elaborated. Everyone seemed to contemplate this. That was the only rational explanation, really.

"How did this even happen, though? No one just changes to the other gender!" Akihiko burst, standing. His demands were met with stillness and a harsh glare from Mitsuru.

"I don't know! Ask the universe!" Minato immediately retorted sourly. _Wait... That's me. Well, dang. Guess I'm not lying though..._

"Everyone, please calm down. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this phenomenon," Ikutsuki tried to quell the flames, which he was successful at accomplishing. Minato sighed and Akihiko returned to his seat. He wasn't happy one bit, glowering at Minato and uttering something under his breath. Minato just ignored it. "Good. Now, as I see it, there is only one thing we can do. We should resume our day as usual, but Minato should keep inside for the time being. That is, until we find a cure of some sort."

"Sounds good," Minato could breathe easy now with at least some form of plan in motion. Even if that plan was vague at best. There was only one thing wrong. "Well, I do have errands to run. I've been pushing them off because of my headache."

"In that case," Mitsuru spoke up before Ikutsuki could get a word in, "Why don't we find some fitting clothes for you to wear? Worst case scenario, you'll most likely need them." Minato frowned. Worst case scenario? Did she mean... she wouldn't change back?! The thought alone was enough to make Minato grimace and send perturbed chills down her spine. No! She would find a way to change back! Somehow... "Takeba, do you have anything for Arisato to borrow for the time being?"

"Wh-why me?" Yukari jumped at the mention of her name, brows furrowing at Mitsuru's sudden question.

"Well, my clothes aren't exactly... comfortable, or expendable, so..." Mitsuru didn't continue, with no words in her arsenal to use. Yukari went deadpan for a moment at the word 'expendable', but shook it off with a groan.

"Fine. C'mon, I'll take you now," Yukari led Minato up to her room, leaving the others to their thoughts. It felt weird to go to the girl's floor, but Minato was sure Junpei went up here all the time. With his midnight bathroom trips and perverted tendencies, he would probably be much more familiar with this floor. Yukari opened her door, exposing her pink, fuzzy room for all the world to see. If Kenji or Junpei saw this, Yukari would never hear the end of it. "Here we are..." She frivolously motioned to her room. "I like pink, okay? Don't make fun!"

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it," Minato affirmed, looking around. He'd been here once before, by accident, when helping Junpei with something, but hadn't gotten a solid view before Yukari herself chased them off. She had various stuffed animals and plushy furnishings. Nothing seemed to have a sharp edge or dangerous angle; everything was round and soft, subdued even. Her closet hung half open, a few stray clothing items peeking out to see the visitor. Yukari headed there, scrolling through shirts and skirts and dresses. There were some sweaters and a jacket or two shoved to the side, and she didn't even give them a second look. She grabbed a few simple, older looking shirts and two pairs of pants.

"I don't know what size you wear, but I wear smalls, so that's what you're getting. Tell me if the jeans don't fit, though. They're older and smaller than what I usually wear," Yukari mumbled on and on. There were two or three t-shirts with random brand names on them among some less revealing, stylized shirts and tank tops. "I'll get out now, so you can try some of it on. Just, don't mess with anything!" Yukari closed the door behind her, giving Minato space to change clothes. It felt awkward in a bright pink, girly room with such feminine clothes layed out for her to wear. It took a bit, but Minato was able to figure out how to work her undergarments and finally slid one of the t-shirts on. It was a faded white with a black and red logo that had been worn away by the passage of time and the trials of everyday life. Her uniform on Yukari's bed in a separate pile, Minato looked in her friend's mirror to see how it fit. It was simple, easy and comfortable and, thankfully, wasn't very big or baggy.

"Huh..." Minato almost laughed. In her opinion, she looked pretty snazzy, even while wearing an old t-shirt. It motivated her to try on the different shirts at her disposal. One of the t-shirts was too small, the logo almost completely gone. One shirt was uncomfortable and clenched around Minato's neck and arms tightly, the rest of it fitting perfectly. Two of the few tank tops were cast aside with the other clothes that didn't fit due to the neck coming much too low, at least for Minato's liking. Around five or six shirts didn't fit, but Minato now had quite a few that were perfect. Now, onto the jeans. The first pair was a little snug around her hips, but was easily ignored. The other pair were too skinny in the leg area, so she tossed them with the other rejected clothes.

Putting on the new pants and that first t-shirt, she opened the door. Yukari was no where to be seen. _She probably went downstairs._ Minato brushed it off. Excitement and abject horror made her heart accelerate exponentially, Minato taking only a few steps before stopping to calm herself. It would be fine! What could go wrong, really? She continued down the steps, trying to be as quiet as possible. Finally, she made it to the lounge. Walking up to her friends, she asked, "What do you think?"

"Nice!" Junpei beamed, his gaze lingering on Minato for a little too long. Yukari nodded.

"I like it," She smiled.

"It looks great on you," Mitsuru agreed, satisfied. Minato grinned at the praise. Time chose this moment to freeze, Minato finding her Fool social link leveling up. Time began once more, Minato having been caught off guard by the sudden stop and suddenly lacking words to say.

"So, then..." She finally spoke. "Are we done here...?" She slowly inquired, timidly hoping that the suffering was over. Mitsuru mulled this over.

"We can discuss it further later. If any problems arise concerning this, we will address them at once," Mitsuru settled coolly, nodding reassuringly towards Minato.

"So, I presume that we'll tell the school that he is currently sick? I'm not sure if that's the best idea, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki intervened coldly, a concerned yet driven expression on his face.

"What other choice do we have? We can't sent Arisato back to school like this, and no one would believe even you Mr. Chairman if we told them of the change," Mitsuru didn't look pleased, but she made a fair point. Those two options were exhausted. Now what?

"Fair enough. Fine, I'll see what I can do," Ikutsuki obliged, getting up to leave. "This meeting is adjourned." Minato breathed a sigh of uptight relief.

Finally.

All this awkwardness was really starting to bring back her isolationist side... Now then...

"Yukari? Can you tie up my hair? I don't really like it in my face," Minato questioned, Yukari chuckling briefly.

"Says the guy who always has bangs hanging in his eye," She poked fun at her, grinning. "Sure, come here." She took out a previously hidden hair tie, putting Minato's longer hair into a low hanging ponytail.

"Thanks a million," Minato waved, arising to leave as Ikutsuki had done a few minutes prior. That's when she realized she forgot her wallet. Joy. She hustled back to her room and nabbed it before stepping out. The sweet, brisk evening air enveloped her in it's allure, Minato following the breeze as she made her way to Paulownia mall on foot. Taking the subway would be needlessly complicated and a drag, since it was perfectly beautiful outside and the perfect weather for a walk regardless.

Arriving at the still bustling mall as the sun turned a blood red, the sky changing to a color not unlike an orange creamsicle, Minato pondered what to do first. She needed some supplies definitely, along with some more personas and perhaps a small equipment upgrade for the time being, since the old equipment was becoming slightly worn and raggedy. But, where to start? Kurosawa probably wouldn't even talk to her while she looked like this, so that was ruled out. And, she did want to tell Elizabeth of the news, despite the teasing and making fun she knew would follow. So, she went to the spare hallway, located near the back of the mall and almost hidden from view. Thinking on it now, Igor had most likely made it into existence, and it probably didn't exist for anyone else. Heading to the back, two glowing blue doors shone luminescently against the poorly lit room. One was a tall navy door, the other a jet black car door.

"There wouldn't really be a point to telling their past selves, would there?" She asked herself, thinking out loud without realizing it. Her attention focused elsewhere, she didn't notice the car door opening and a certain silver-haired lady stepping out.

"Freeze!" She called out, half ways menacing but mostly just playful sounding. Shoot! Elizabeth tackled her and held her face to the ground, her unearthly strength pinning Minato in an instant. "Who are you? How did you get here?" Without awaiting an answer, she seemed to be taken aback. "Blue hair...?" She recognized her!

"Elizabeth... Can you get off?" Minato huffed, the wind knocked out of her from the sudden impact of Elizabeth's onslaught.

"Could you be...? Minato?"

"Yeah... I'll explain, if you let me get up," Minato promised, trying to twist her head to get a good look at her curious friend. Elizabeth's weight shifted off of her, and she could feel her eyes burning into her back as she got back on her feet.

"Well?"

"... So, you know that change Igor mentioned a few visits ago?" Minato quizzed, crossing her arms as she faced a very confused Elizabeth.

"Yes, I remember that," Elizabeth nodded along.

"Well... I think I found your penalty."

Minato motioned to herself, expression awkward and stiff. Elizabeth's eyes went huge, but closed as she began hysterically laughing.

"Hahaha! This it it? _This_? We were worried for this?! Brilliant!" She beamed shamelessly, pointing and laughing uncontrollably as she took in the strangeness of the whole situation. Minato went deadpan, slightly annoyed by her friend's lack of self awareness. She couldn't get mad, though. Elizabeth, in many ways, was like a child. Her boundless curiosity and the black abyss called her stomach fit in with the idea of youthfulness. And, despite her extreme intelligence, she always seemed to go about things in this world in the exact wrong way. From sliding down a slide while standing to pouring a torrent of pricey coins into one of the three fountains in the mall. She was a piece of work all right.

"Yeah, yeah. Hahaha," Minato rolled her eyes, unable to suppress the tiniest smile.

"Forgive me, it's just..." She looked like she was trying not to breathe, as to not allow anymore of her laughter to escape and further perturb Minato for which the aforementioned was grateful. After a minute or two, Elizabeth recovered, clearing her throat. "So... Why have you come here?"

"Why?" She echoed. "Well, I wanted to tell you about this. I thought you deserved to know," Minato followed up, again motioning to herself.

"Oh, I thought you might want to partake in some persona summoning and fusing," Elizabeth responded. "Unless... Would you like to engage in another recreational activity together? I still wish to learn more of your world than I do currently, though I do believe you will find I am further educated than I was at the time of our last outing." Minato nodded.

"Well, I should hope so. I mean, you've had five years to broaden your horizons..." Minato couldn't continue. The sudden weight of those five lonely years hit them like a falling anvil, heavy and painful. Minato couldn't look Elizabeth in the face. All that time... For Minato it had been spent half dead, waiting in silence for a moment of hope. For Elizabeth, it had been spent wandering alone. Elizabeth decided to break the hefty pause.

"Where shall we go, then?" She piped, feigning a carefree tone. Minato smiled gratefully at her.

"Well, I was thinking..."

Personas could wait for a bit...

* * *

April Twenty Fifth, 2009 (Present)

Next full moon in: 14 days

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It was the dark hour, Minato unable to effectively sleep in her new body. Hands behind her head, propping it up, she watched the ceiling, like she'd done so many times before.

"Hello there," A friendly voice called out, one she knew she'd heard before. _Pharos._ Lifting her head, she was greeted by an uncomfortable looking Pharos.

"Pharos... I was wondering when you'd show up," Minato discarded the charade and, in that moment, spoke only the truth to her close friend.

"Excuse my tardiness... You see, after you awakened to your power, my memories returned as well," Pharos spoke softly, eying the ground with a sky blue, downcast gaze. Minato's eyes widened. That occurred as well? Because she summoned Orpheus Telos in Orpheus' place, not only had she turned into a girl, but Pharos knew everything too? At least the ladder made it all a bit easier on her... "The reason I didn't visit sooner is... I was afraid," He admitted, eyes darting elsewhere. "I was afriad... of what's to come. All the pain and suffering, brought about by my own hands without my knowledge..."

"It's okay," Minato intercepted sternly, giving Pharos an encouraging smile. "That's what I'm here for. To prevent that from ever coming to pass." Pharos was somehow still uncertain, his eyes glittering with heart wrenching doubt.

"I am not aware of your plan, but I know even you, the Messiah, can't stop the fall. Not forever."

"It doesn't have to be forever! I know for a fact that there are many who follow after me that can ensure the fall never happens in my stead. Even so, I'm only a teenager. I have a lot of years left in me," Minato retorted, trying to get Pharos to understand that she would never give up on this world. On her friends.

"You don't have as many as you'd hope..." Minato involuntarily gasped. Not in shock or betrayal, but from the sting of the cold, hard truth. Much like straight black coffee, it made her visibly flinch and her face scrunched up as she frowned. Thankfully, unlike with the coffee, she didn't gag.

"Look, Pharos... I will do everything I can to ensure the safety of this world's future. My will has protected the world for five years. I can handle whatever the world cares to throw my way. I _will_ handle it," Minato gave him her determined, stubborn glare. She layed down again, finding a yawn escaping her mouth. Pharos watched her. The shock on his face moments ago had melted into a look akin to a researcher studying something highly intriguing. Silence fell like a blight across the room, blanketing any semblance of normality and throwing it out the window.

Pharos finally spoke up, "Fine. For the time being, I shall continue as your friend and will visit you in May. Farewell, Minato." Pharos waved goodbye and disappeared from sight then and there, Minato sighing. Only one thought crossed her mind as she layed there, growing drowsy.

 _I hope I turn back tomorrow._


	9. Day Out

**Hey! Sorry this took a few extra days ^^'**

 **I have a lot of Elizabeth and fem!Minato in this chapter, so watch out, and blatant ships are present (sorry if you don't like it, I just really do... T^T) so be warned! I felt a bit shaky with Liz in some parts of this chapter, and it may show, so I'm also warning you of that ahead of time. I decided to cut short, as the chapter was getting long and had already been delayed, so I didn't get to quite reach my story goal, but I think it'll turn out better as the focus in the next chapter, so enjoy regular life stuff :3**

 **Hope you enjoy the new (full) chapter! Don't be shy, leave me your opinions and critiques in a review or PM!**

* * *

April Twenty Fifth, 2009 (Present)

Next full moon in: 14 days

* * *

Minato registered light noise as she blinked open her droopy eyes, looking with blurry vision towards the door. On her side, she lay in absolute silence, slowly waking up mentally with a yawn. One good stretch later, and she watched the ceiling. She could tell... _I didn't change back..._ Minato groaned, arm rising to fall across her forehead.

Perfect. Just perfect...

She thought back to her conversation with Pharos last night, recalling his fleeting trust and the terrible pain that echoed endlessly behind his calm, enigmatic facade. He wasn't evil by any means. He did feel bad for what he had done. What he would do. Minato nodded to herself. _I'd feel the same way, I think._ She finally convinced herself to sit up, propping her pillow up to provide a comfortable seat. What time, what time? Minato peered at the clock by her bed. It was 9:45 a.m. That was far past the time that was required to get to school. Although, she hadn't any need to worry over that. As of right now, she was scot-free.

She yawned, searching for her mp3 player to kick start her day, but ended up deciding against it. She'd awoken to enough loud music in her life, so she felt she deserved one peaceful morning. Minato got up, stumbling over to her laptop. When she opened it, she swiftly signed in and began to browse the web. One of her bookmarks caught her eye and, on a whim, Minato clicked it. It took her to the sign-in page for Innocent Sin Online, or ISO for short. She put her credentials into the boxes and was logged in, checking to see if anyone was on. Sadly, as Maya was currently teaching at school and the rest of the website was deserted, there was no one to chat with. Minato sighed in disappointment. She had a feeling this would happen. Thus, she stood and gathered some clothes to wear, heading off to take a quick shower.

It was a little awkward, what with the difference in body, but endlessly chanting nonsense in her mind ceased it's wandering, much to Minato's pleased relief. She stepped out, her precious hair thoroughly scrubbed, and dried herself off. She slipped on the new clothes, nearly laughing at herself when she realized her mistake. The shirt she had picked out was one that _used_ to fit her, but no longer suited her. It was cringingly baggy and out of place among her now feminine features. _Oops._ She left the shirt on and finished everything in the bathroom when she headed back to her room. Once inside, she updated her top and checked her phone. Elizabeth had called her, apparently. A voicemail started up.

"Minato? It is I, Elizabeth, wondering where you are. You _did_ say we could spend time together today, didn't you?"

Oh no. She'd totally forgotten! Minato had made plans with Elizabeth the day prior, as they paid a visit to the shrine before getting some takoyaki at Octopia.

"Nevertheless, I shall await your short arrival! Goodbye!" Elizabeth's excited declaration made Minato chuckle. She was weird, but in all the best, most hilarious and lovable ways. She still recalled Liz's last visit during her original journey. She'd asked to see his bedroom, and had posed highly suggestive questions. Of course, Minato had already made his decision by then and didn't bother to stop Elizabeth as they spent time in his room together, just as long as it didn't get too crazy. She could be surprisingly compliant, which she remembered impressed her, but was far more dominating than Minato cared to be. She shook her head. No time for that! Her Minato senses were tingling! Making sure she was ready with her mp3 player, wallet and a pair of shoes, Minato took off to meet Elizabeth at Paulownia mall's very own karaoke place.

Upon arriving, Minato found herself slightly short on breath, looking around for her optimistic friend. Elizabeth didn't seem to be anywhere nearby, Minato's thumbs fidgeting nervously from the outside of her pant pockets. Did she leave? Did she go inside? What if something happened to her? Minato tried her best to shove these unpleasant thoughts away, glancing around once more. A flash of silver on blue, and she found herself in motion, approaching it's source. It was... Yes! Liz! Minato's neutral frown turned upside down, a relieved smile creeping up to take it's place. She reached out and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late..." Minato shyly scratched her neck, looking elsewhere as she addressed Elizabeth. The girl merely giggled.

"It's quite alright. I believe you will find me more patient than when I last ventured here," A wicked gleam in her eyes was undoubtedly apparent, Elizabeth booping Minato on the nose. Minato shivered. From what, she couldn't say. "Now, come!" Elizabeth led the way into the establishment, surprisingly well versed with the lay out as she led them to an unoccupied room. Minato couldn't help feeling nervous, as she'd never tested singing with her female voice before, and feared that Liz would point and laugh like always. Acting on these feelings, Minato pushed Elizabeth to go first, narrowly avoiding having to try out the extent of her voice.

"Why have you not joined in on this activity?" Elizabeth cut through Minato's thoughts, quickly putting an end to her musing to pose a question. She didn't know what to say... Before, she probably could've just come up with a white lie, but now Liz was much smarter and much more clever. She'd find a way around it, if she even believed her in the first place.

"Err... Umm... I guess I'm just... uncomfortable...?" Minato filled in the blank, shrugging to Elizabeth as she played nervously with her fingers. She really didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to.

Even if she hated the very thought.

"There is no need for such inhibitions, Minato. Or, is my company alone not calming enough for you?" Elizabeth inquired. She was serious, but there was a teasing note to the ladder half of her statement that Minato couldn't ignore. Her impish eyes confirmed this observation, Liz smirking, if only to herself. Minato sighed.

"Fine, I'll try it. But, only if we can go back to the dorm after," She didn't allow her resignation to drown out the commanding, pleading tone she voiced as she reluctantly complied. Elizabeth cheered, finally pleased with how the events were turning out. Minato arose from her seat, her legs shaky as she chose her song and grabbed the microphone from her pushy friend. She felt her toes tapping away to the beat as it started up, a burning sense of terror washing over her.

 _Meanwhile..._

Mitsuru couldn't help but filter out her instructor's blabbering, having read ahead and already understanding what he was lecturing about. She looked to the clock, finding it close to noon and lunch time. _I wonder how Arisato is doing._ She felt a bit bad, allowing a fellow student to slack off. But, what other choice did they have? It's not like they could've told anyone without looking certifiably insane and trying to make his female form up as a completely different student would have a large number of problems, most being credentials and how they would handle things if this was all just temporary. Plus, wouldn't they start to ask about Minato even if it was permanent? Mitsuru sighed lightly, blinking lazily before focusing her attention back on her teacher. She didn't want to slack off either, but with so much on her mind and with complete understanding of the topics being discussed, she felt it was alright for now. There was always tomorrow to focus on academics.

Among Minato's condition and the whole dark hour situation, Mitsuru found one peculiar someone on her mind. Strangely enough, it was Yukari Takeba, who was roughly a year younger than her. She was quickly becoming something fun to think about when bored and a subject that really challenged Mitsuru's views. She was also becoming a matter of concern as well, since she was always in the back of Mitsuru's mind.

That drove her batty.

Why did Yukari rile her up so? Why Yukari, of all people? The only time she felt this way, it was far more intense and directed at a certain silver-haired boxing club member when she'd had a schoolgirl crush on him. However, it faded with time and she lost interest rather fast. So, why feel this way? And why towards Yukari, one of the most outspoken, stubborn, pushy, untrusting and compassionate people she knew? She shook her head. No point. This conversation with herself had already played out in her head numerable times, and she still could not answer. Not yet. To Mitsuru's relief, her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a bell and, finally, lunch had arrived. With a sigh, Mitsuru stood up to stretch and grabbed her lunch as she pondered a few more things.

 _Back to Minato..._

"You know, that was actually kinda fun," Minato beamed, leaving the mall with Elizabeth in tow. Elizabeth giggled childishly, hands behind her back as they left.

"See? Now, what did I tell you?" She prompted, elbowing Minato in the stomach playfully. Minato laughed.

"Ey, stop!" She joked, lightly pushing Elizabeth away. "Yeah, I guess you were right..." Elizabeth's eyes lowered, the former velvet attendant clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe I heard you," She pretended, hoping to get the same line out of her company twice. Minato crossed her arms.

"Nope! Not saying it again!" She declared confidently.

"Aww..."

Minato was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that her voice was still on par, if not better than her previous voice. It was higher pitched, but still in the lower range. Judging by it, she'd say she went from about a tenor range to an alto two, which was the deeper half of a certain higher mid ranged choral section. The only reason Minato even knew this is because she spent one long year of junior high stuck in choir by her aunt's choice. It was surprising what one year of choir could teach you about music. "So then, shall we head to your dormitory as promised?" Elizabeth prompted.

"Yup," Minato nodded, finding herself quite contented. "After all, we already did what you wanted. It's only fair that we go and do what I'd like to." Minato studied Liz, keeping a close eye on her expression with that last sentence. Elizabeth grinned brightly, her eyes closed in a peaceful expression. The spring wind rustled around them, a few stray leaves and petals drifting along with the current of the air. They danced entrancingly around them, capturing both Minato and Liz's attention with the sheer serenity of the scenery. Minato caught herself making giddy laughter, letting her voice carry it out before clamping her jaw together loosely.

"What is so humorous?" Elizabeth prodded snoopily, her grin from earlier replaced with a more serious resting frown. Minato thought for a moment. Why _had_ she laughed?

"Hmm... I guess I'm just happy," Minato settled, having decided on a satisfactory answer to her friend's question. That made Liz think for a second.

"Oh? Why would you say that?"

"Well... I haven't seen you in so long, and this is the longest we've hung out together in... a long time, so..." She trailed off, the tiniest flicker of a flame catching on her face. Elizabeth's expression, despite Minato's looking away, was surprised before it turned into a look of peace once more.

"I know how you feel. Since... that day, I haven't stopped considering doing more activities such as this alongside you, if only to spend more of my time with you," Elizabeth admitted, her normally pushy and adventurous tone replaced by a much more adult reminiscing. This caught Minato off guard, the awkward girl quickly looking to find Liz with a pale pink on her cheeks and a small, sweet smile on her face. Minato became choked up at the sight of it, suddenly unable to find the proper words to address the woman in blue beside her. So, they sauntered along in stagnant silence.

 _Wow, great job._

She couldn't help beating herself up about it a bit, clearing her throat forcefully in an attempt to prepare for conversing.

"So... you still feel the same?

There. She did it. She posed the question. That dang question that had haunted her, even during her time as the seal. Watching Elizabeth through razor-focused eyes, she bore witness to Elizabeth's full reaction. She looked down, the smile fading for only a moment before it returned with a vengeance.

"Yes."

That response. Minato could swear that the vertigo alone could've knocked her clean off her feet, but she only stiffened up and took a deep breath. Her fingers began shaking as her legs turned to jelly. An indescribable explosion of relief and happiness burst from inside her, a weak smile creeping up onto her face.

"Me too," She beamed, taking a step closer to Elizabeth. The girl didn't back away, but instead opened her mouth to speak up.

"Perhaps it would be best to continue this at your dorm," She suggested, tapping her finger against Minato's forehead exuberantly to deter her.

"Yeah, probably," Minato sighed, turning to face the same direction as the crosswalk while they went back to treading atop it, having paused briefly. Liz nodded. Minato couldn't push away the growing grin on her face. Even if things were looking pretty bad, she still had Liz, and she still had her friends. With them, everything would turn out okay. "So... What exactly were you doing while I was MIA?"

"MIA?" Elizabeth echoed, tilting her head not unlike a small animal.

"Missing in action," Minato explained briefly, sending Liz a weak smile.

"Ah, yes. Well... I was actually searching out power that was even greater than my own. I spent years searching and, having discovered it finally, I contacted my master and filled him in on the details. He seemed very impressed and even said he might bestow this sort of power to his next wildcard user!" She cheerily told Minato, giggling to herself as she recalled those events.

"Wow, what an honor," Minato wasn't sure how great of an achievement that really was, but she played along and went with it. Liz nodded excitedly.

"Indeed! Anyway, upon harnessing that power, the details of which we've already discussed," Minato nodded at that, "I used it to severely weaken Erebus and give you an opportunity to defeat it for good, which is why we're here. Of course, you already know all that."

"Yep. So, Igor wasn't mad or anything?" Minato asked, honest curiosity pushing her on.

"Not in the slightest. After all, the velvet room is a place that leads all on the path of discovering one's self. Resident or guest, it matters not. When I told him I was leaving, he simply smiled and nodded. I believe he must've known it was my path in life, and I thank him for allowing me to do this. Not only for you, but for myself as well," Liz articulated, her proper grammar and higher vocabulary level making Minato feel almost like she did back then. Almost. After all, she was a girl now, and she knew exactly what was coming and somehow had to prevent it. Somehow.

"Yeah..." She wimpily agreed, mindlessly letting words slip as she used to, her spark of curiosity fading. Today was just chock full of nostalgia, it?

"So, what did you have planned for when we returned to the dorm?" Liz inquired. Minato gulped. She hadn't thought that far ahead... Quick, think! Now, what could they do at the dorm...?

"Well... I thought we could just chat, maybe browse the web too. Not to mention, I have some questions for you," The complete improv of that whole statement was thankfully transparent, Minato making the whole thing up on the fly. It seemed to work, however, as Elizabeth nodded her agreement.

"Yes, I'm sure that you have many questions that need answering, and this isn't quite the place to pose such inquiries," She followed Minato's train of thought on this one, which was good. Very good.

"Yeah, plus it's kinda awkward and alienating to be out and about like this, especially given that I'm meant to be in school," She continued, directing her gray gaze to the bright sky. It was noonish, perhaps a bit after, which meant her friends were probably having lunch. Her stomach growled at the thought, eliciting a laugh from her companion.

"Hungry?"

"Yes, actually. I didn't get to eat anything this morning," Minato admitted, patting her angry stomach.

"All the more reason to hurry back, then. Onwards!"

They eventually made it back to the dorm, having taken a small detour to get Minato some food, and stepped inside. A cool, air conditioned breeze met them at the door, the temperature outside having risen since noon rolled around. Minato quickly got Liz situated on a couch, running into the kitchen to check out the time. The clock read 2:47. That meant her friends should be arriving home anytime now. She knew the patterns of who came home and when pretty well. Usually, Mitsuru was first home, unless she had student council work to do. Shortly thereafter, Akihiko would follow, unless he had business. Yukari would sometimes beat them both, but she usually fell behind Akihiko if she didn't have club stuff to do. Junpei would never make it home before Mitsuru or Akihiko, but would occasionally get back before Yukari when he had enough time. That meant... Mitsuru was due anytime. She made her way back to Liz, who was playing with her gloves, bored.

"My friends'll be here anytime, so you'll finally get to meet them," Minato told her, poking her shoulder to break her zoning out.

"Finally! It has been long since overdue!" She complained. "Although, I have met one of them already."

"Yeah, Yukari right?"

"Yes," Elizabeth smirked at that, clearing her throat. "She was quite polite, but I am not sure as to why she turned down my monetary compensation." Minato sighed. Yep, she was right. It had been Liz after all, huh?

"Geez, you're hopeless..." She snickered, resting her head in her palm as she shook it from side to side. Elizabeth scoffed in feigned betrayal.

"Minato! How rude!" She brazenly accused her, crossing her arms and pouting immaturely. Minato just sighed and continued on, a carefree laugh bubbling up in her voice. Their exchange was soon interrupted by the sound of the front door knob turning, the door creaking a bit as it was opened. It was Mitsuru, just as Minato had predicted. Seeing Minato and this assumed stranger must've really thrown her off, since she stared at the two in surprise.

"Arisato," She remarked, pausing for a moment before she directed her attention to the person on the couch next to her. "Who are you?" Liz smirked charmingly, holding out her hand.

"My name is Elizabeth. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, and likewise," Mitsuru seemed really off her game for some reason, fidgeting and tripping over her own words a bit. _I wonder why._ Elizabeth wasn't deterred by it in the slightest, for some reason, and instead patted at the spot on the couch next her her.

She grinned as she suggested, "Come, sit." Mitsuru nodded and, having made her way to that position, she and Liz faced eachother. "Is something the matter? You appear... very distant and troubled."

"It's nothing," Mitsuru looked to the opposing couch, "I've just had something on my mind." Elizabeth's interest seemed to pique at this reaction, as she scooted the tiniest bit closer. Minato wasn't sure what she was about to pull, so she reach out to stop her... and was pleasantly surprised to see the velvet attendant pat the other girl's shoulder knowingly.

"It's alright to talk about it, whatever it is. I'm always open, if you have need of my assistance, and I'm quite sure your friends would gladly help you talk it out as well," Elizabeth comforted the red haired student, her tone slightly different. Minato got the feeling that she was speaking out of experience. That raised many questions in her mind. Just what sort of time must she have had in those five years to gain this kind of know-how? Mitsuru seemed touched by this honest display of boundless affection, giving Elizabeth a brave smile and patting the hand that rested on her shoulder.

"I thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine. Just, with all the nonsensical phenomenon going on, I've been a bit troubled. Besides, I've only just met you. It would be rude of me to tax you with picking up my slack," Mitsuru's reasoning was selfless as ever, never stopping to spare a moment for her own needs and instead defaulting to her preferred self-neglect. Last time, Minato had to help her sort through these turmoils. But, with everything going on and all to occur, she wondered if it would stay the same. "So, how do you two know eachother?"

Shoot, she asked the question.

Always straight to the point, per usual.

"Well... It's a bit of a long story, and I'd prefer not to explain it to everyone individually, so..." She knew that she would have to introduce them sooner or later, but wasn't quite ready as of yet. She needed time. Just a little, but time nonetheless.

"I understand. Then, I shall pose this inquiry again after everyone's arrived."

"Sure," It was a promise now, apparently. Okay then. They exchanged idle chatter until Yukari came home, beating Akihiko and, as Junpei had dubbed it, his "teleporting powers." She looked bug-eyed, watching Elizabeth like she was the very spawn of Satan himself. Given some of her methods, Minato couldn't help but ponder if that was true. She _did_ threaten to Megidolaon her if she didn't make her a sandwich, which she thought was only a half joke.

"I-It's _you_!" Yukari finally spat out, pointing dramatically at Liz. Minato couldn't help pointing out to herself that Yukari's position looked like it was straight from a Phoenix Wright game. Liz just watched her with a contented, knowing smirk on her face.

"Yes, it is I, Elizabeth!" She eagerly cheered, and, stepping forward to lock Yukari's outstretched hand in a rather violent handshake, she lifted her free hand high into the air in greetings. Yukari was watching, still frozen, as Elizabeth shook her hand so hard that she was actually lifted off the ground a bit every time Liz shook up. Minato had to step in and pry the two apart, leaving a pouting Liz and shaken Yukari both seated on a couch, watching eachother. She cleared her throat, signalling Elizabeth to initiate a conversation.

"I apologize for my thoughtless behavior, Yukari-san," Elizabeth bowed a little in her seat, attaching the honorifics at the end for added effect.

"Oh, please, just Yukari is fine," Said pink-loving girl digressed. "So... You guys know her too?" Mitsuru shook her head, nodding to Minato as their mystery stranger guest's friend. Yukari watched her, perplexed and obviously dying for an answer.

"Well, I'll explain everything when Junpei and Akihiko get home-"

"Junpei's hanging out with some classmates and Akihiko-senpai said he won't be back until the evening," Yukari cut him off abruptly, the demand in her voice rising exponentially.

Shoot again. There went that brilliant plan.

"Yes, Minato. I believe some answers are in order," Elizabeth added fuel to the growing wildfire, fixating Minato's usual clam self with an ambition so intense, it made her take a step back. Her breathing hitched for a split second, so she defaulted to her blank, mindless nod, trying her hardest not to look intimidated.

"Well, I suppose you could call it the will of the universe, or at least something similar. You guys know that blue room I've mentioned?" Yukari and Mitsuru nodded in unison, willing her to continue. "Well, Elizabeth is something of a resident of that place. Although she may seem pretty normal, ignoring her bold fashion statement, silver hair and golden eyes, she is actually not human at all. She is, in fact, a ruler over power," Minato tried to explain it in the most easy to understand way possible, but it was a tad difficult given the facts she had to work with. Mitsuru looked like she was trying her best to take everything Minato said at face value and failing, while Yukari just let a concerned raised eyebrow voice her reaction. Minato sighed, exasperated. "Look, I know. Trust me, if there was a simpler truth, I'd tell you guys. Sadly, there isn't," Minato looked away, the slightly overwhelming gaze of six eyes baring down on her just a bit too much to bear right now. "We know eachother through that room, actually. It's where I get my other personas."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense, actually..." Yukari nodded along in understanding. It seemed that she was finally catching on.

"That certainly _would_ explain a lot," Mitsuru agreed. Elizabeth remained quiet the entire time, catching Minato's attention. She watched the two girls with mischievous sparks in her eyes, maintaining a composed smile as she observed almost knowingly. Minato knew that look. _What now?_

"I'm glad you both are so quick to understand. In other news, I have decided to accompany you all on a trip to Tartarus tonight!" Liz cheered. Wait, what?

"H-huh? You mean..." Yukari couldn't continue.

"You are aware of the dark hour?" Mitsuru was so gracious to finish Yukari's sentence, turning her attention to the velvet attendant.

"Oh, yes. I know all about the dark hour, as well as Minato's _predicament_ of sorts," She lulled, her eyes lowering in something that looked strikingly similar to a challenge. Minato exchanged glances between her friends and their guest, feeling almost as if they were judging the one who presides over power.

"... I suppose that only makes things easier on our part," Mitsuru finally broke the lengthy silence, "In that case, we would like to ask if you would join our group."

Elizabeth shook her head from side to side, keeping her sly grin as she spoke, "I'm afraid I have to decline your offer. I don't mind assisting you, but I believe if I join your cause, I would be ranked as 'OP' and, thus, a spoilsport." Where did Liz learn such a term?

"What does 'OP' mean?" Yukari asked.

"Over powered. She's saying that, because of how powerful she is, she would make everything too easy on us," Minato explained. The subject reminded her of her teammates' ignorance of the future, and her eyes fell. _I wish there was a way to just tell them now..._ But, alas, it wasn't meant to be.

"Over powered? Just how long have you been aware of the dark hour?" Mitsuru prompted, a chillingly serious look on her face. Elizabeth lightly chuckled.

"I have been aware of the dark hour only for it's current lifespan of ten years, but my knowledge of shadows and such goes back much farther," Liz stated simply, as though it were common knowledge. Maybe she just liked showing off more than Minato recalled. Mitsuru was understandably flabbergasted, eyes wide as she barely managed to keep her jaw closed.

"E-excuse me, but do you mean to say that you've known about shadows _prior_ to the dark hour's beginning?!"

"To put it simply, yes," Elizabeth confirmed. She nodded calmly, eying a speechless Yukari.

"Again, ruler over power," Minato digressed, shrugging. "Don't bother questioning it." She was glad to find her more cynical roots again, a half tired, half mocking side smirk slapped on as she dragged Elizabeth up the stairs and to the boy's floor, leaving two shocked silly comrades behind. She threw open her door with vigor and pulled Liz inside by the wrist. Closing the door with her ankle, Liz began to push Minato forward to match her adversarial pull. They stumbled by her desk with the worn Neo Featherman doll on top accompanying her laptop and plopped down on Minato's bed. Liz giggled, capturing Minato's head with her gloved hands and leaning down to touch foreheads with the previously stoic teen as they fell to their sides in a fit of laughter.

"How chaotic to leave them in such a disarray!" Liz put on a poorly done scolding tone, grinning her devilish Elizabeth grin while she proceeded to tease the blue-haired girl. "Minato, I... Love it!" Her excited squeal came as a bit of a surprise for Minato, who couldn't contain a small burst of laughter before she quickly forced it back down.

"Well, it's only a temporary fix. If you really are coming tonight, then Akihiko's gonna _demand_ some straight answers," Minato reasoned, breaking from the hold of the velvet room attendant lying next to her. She layed her arm over her forehead in thought and exasperation, letting out a sigh.

"If I am correct, then don't you humans withhold the right to remain silent?"

"First, that's America. Second, it's not that simple..." Minato spared a moment to look to her right, finding wide, helpful golden eyes staring back at her from their owner's position on the bed. They ensnared her attention instantly and her thoughts began to wander just a _little_ bit. She shook her head, trying her best to ignore the growing blush on her face. Minato looked away. But, it wasn't that simple. Liz shifted, propping herself up as she crawled up to Minato's face from where she lay on the bed closer to Minato's legs. Inviting herself to advance further she softly grabbed Minato's face and turned it back towards her own. Minato froze like a deer in headlights.

The warm afternoon sunlight that poured in through the thin, closed curtains was soon forgotten, her entire body situation set aside for just a moment. Acting on pure instincts, she willingly gave in to Liz's not-so-subtle strategies as they met in a short kiss. It lasted but a fleeting moment, the two parting just as quickly as they had come together. This seemed to satisfy both parties, as they broke apart to stare at the ceiling. They sighed, contented, floating up on cloud nine as they aimlessly let the precious seconds pass by.

"... Would you like me to answer your questions now?"

"... ... Sure."

They spent a while like that, exchanging chitchat and whatnot. Eventually, evening fell. The creak of the front door opening was caught by Minato's ears, the girl elbowing Elizabeth to wake her from her light stupor.

"Hey, they're here!" Minato told her, shaking her a bit more as she sat up. Liz grumbled and began to stir, stretching her arms instinctively before she fluttered open her eyes.

"Hmm?" She yawned, slowly rising to sit up. Her eyes were still very droopy, the faintest dark circles present beneath.

"They're home," Minato shook her again, this time a little softer. At this, it seemed to click for Liz, the girl immediately looking more alive and reclaiming the eccentric air she could never seem to leave behind. "C'mon." Minato proceeded to lead Liz downstairs, finding a clueless Junpei and an annoyed Akihiko awaiting them.

"So, who's the girl?" Akihiko immediately heckled Minato, fixing Elizabeth with a stare that swarmed with innumerable questions.

"My name is Elizabeth," She leisurely waved, "I am a very close friend of Minato here."

"Close friend, huh?" Akihiko seemed to evaluate her, squinting his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Mitsuru and Yukari said you're powerful. Is that true?"

"Oh, yes. I am more than capable of taking care of some weakling shadows," She nodded in confirmation. Liz then turned to Minato, her smile shifting around a bit to become a conniving smirk. "I believe Minato can vouch for my statement as well, seems how we battled eachother not once, but two times in the past." Minato felt a terrified shiver crawl up and back down her spine. Just those few words and she was reduced to a quaking, sputtering mess. Their first battle had ended in Liz's victory, Minato being completely decimated by her Pixie's Megidolaon skill. The second time, Minato had barely won with a large helping of luck and the duo skill Armageddon, which she since considered her ironic saving grace. The PTSD from the whole ordeal still gave her nightmares, which she hadn't the misfortune to experience yet since returning to the past. Something told her that tonight, there would be an exception to that pattern.

"You've fought already? Who won?" Akihiko pressed on.

"Well, the first time Liz completely creamed me. I won the second time, though," Minato nervously chuckled, scratching her neck sheepishly. Elizabeth pierced her with a glare so frigid, she swore she'd freeze to death right then and there.

" _Minato_." Oh no. Minato gulped harshly, raising her hands in a futile peaceful gesture. "Do I need to make well on my promise of a few Megidolaons for you? Because, I believe I kindly requested you not call me that," Liz's voice was acidic, burning a hole through Minato's confidence. Dang, she had forgotten...

"Er... I think the Megidolaons should wait. I-I mean, we don't want to accidentally knock out our own party, right?" Minato tried to reason, using every scrap of her will power to not take a step back. Liz contemplated this for a moment, the murder in her expression fading.

"Hmm... I suppose you have a fair point."

"Dang, Minato! I didn't think anything could get you so terrified!" Junpei butted in loudly. "Man, I guess women must really scare ya', huh?"

"No... Just the murderous ones..." Minato breathed quietly, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"What's a 'Megidolaon'?" Akihiko asked, looking rather intrigued.

"Ah, a Megidolaon is a skill of course! It's one of, if not my absolute favorite skill to date!" Elizabeth exclaimed, turning carefree again. She was like a rollercoaster of emotion, upon closer inspection. If Minato had to put it into words, her relationship with the velvet attendant was constructed out of equal portions respect, love and complete and utter terror.

"Interesting." He sure loved that word, didn't he? If he said it anymore, it could probably be considered a catchphrase.

"I've never even heard of such a spell... You must truly be on a whole other level of skill in comparison to us," Mitsuru nodded her agreement.

"On another tangent, should we not be discussing our exploration of Tartarus tonight? I believe I was accompanying you all," Elizabeth plowed ahead, dragging them all back on the subject everyone was itching to discuss.

"Ah, yes. About that..." Mitsuru cleared her throat, "I must ask; why do you wish to act alongside us if you refuse to join our cause? Wouldn't that be a clash of interests?"

"To be perfectly honest, it just sounds rather exhilarating," Liz admitted shamelessly, expression not shifting, even in the slightest. Mitsuru sighed.

"You remind me of another muscle-brain I know," She addressed Akihiko, crossing her arms disapprovingly. Akihiko shot her glare and an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.

"Wait, so you're comin' tonight? Sweetness!" Junpei at least seemed pleased, but it was more likely due to the fact that being a woman automatically made Elizabeth eye candy to the quirky dork.

"Apparently, yes," Yukari nodded, exhaling a small, perhaps aggravated, huff. "Though I don't really mind, as long as she can pull her own weight."

Liz smirked confidently, "Oh, I can, I promise." Well, at least they came to an understanding. That was a relief.

"So... What time is it?" Minato inquired, having patiently waited to speak. Yukari held up a finger before stepping into the kitchen.

Upon returning, she said, "9:45." Minato nodded her thanks with a grateful smile.

"Hey, Elizabeth, do you want to troll some people on the internet?" Minato suggested. She knew it was one of Liz's new favorite hobbies now.

"Ooh, I love joining in on the popular act of 'trolling'! It is quite the amusing pastime!"

They headed upstairs, discussing what forums to check and who to bother, passing the time uselessly staring at a computer screen for a few hours. Eventually, they grew bored, so they came down to enjoy some Neo Featherman in the lounge with Yukari and Akihiko. Minato was glad that Akihiko no longer seemed too angry at her, partaking in some pleasant chitchat with the boxing junkie while they witnessed Feather Red and Blue team up to save the day. Finally, midnight was about to roll around, and the teens made their way to Gekkoukan High to wait for the magic moment.

"Hey, who's your favorite character from Neo Featherman?" Junpei quizzed, breaking a growing silence.

"Hmm... I guess Feather Red from the original show," Minato answered. It was kinda a no-brainer, since that had been her favorite character since she was small.

"I must settle with Feather Pink's little sister from Ninja Beam Neo Featherman. She is quite the pleasure to watch," Liz concluded, nodding to herself.

"I can see that... _My_ favorite has to be Satoshi from Galactic Protectors, the Mighty Featherman," Yukari half mused, muttering a bit to herself.

"Oh, you mean that adopted guy?" Junpei asked. Yukari nodded. "Wasn't his dad the big baddie?"

"Yes, but, remember, he didn't have control over himself until episode forty four," Yukari reminded them, waving her finger at the others, as if to further prove her point.

"Everyone! The dark hour is approaching!" Mitsuru broke in, voice deadly serious. All the underclassmen and Elizabeth grew quiet as they peered over Mitsuru's shoulder to watch the time on her phone. They watched the seconds tick down until, finally, midnight hit. With it, a wave of green painted the sky, pouring out from the ghostly moon in shockwaves. Lights disappeared without warning, a stern rumbling giving rise to the infamous tower of demise. Tartarus. Junpei broke into a silent grin, climbing the fence with Minato and Akihiko short on his tail. They landed with light clacks as their shoes smacked against solid concrete, approaching the looming structure, adrenaline beginning to ration out as unconscious preparation for the battles ahead.

"Whooo!" Junpei cheered, stretching his arms wide before moving on to warming up his legs. Minato also began her prep, over viewing her personas and the team's gear. Her personas were as follows; Valkyrie, Legion, Unicorn and Orpheus Telos. A bit of a mixed bag, and rather over powered for not even having faced the first boss yet, but nothing too crazy. As for gear, they were all up to date with gear that both protected them and gave them slight advantages. Despite this, Minato still needed to make a few trips to both the past and future velvet rooms for some more personas, items and interactions that she had begun to remember while out and about with Elizabeth. She approached the tall blue door and stared at it for a minute before reaching for the handle. Pulling the heavier door open with conviction and a bit of difficulty, she stepped into the all-encompassing blue light of the velvet room.

"Welcome back."


	10. Exploration

**I think this chapter turned out pretty good, huh? Nothing but shadow slaying goodness, so it feels a bit more urgent and action-y. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

Tartarus (Present)

* * *

Having gained a few new personas and discussing Liz's involvement with the current members of SEES, Minato and the aforementioned exited the future velvet room and stepped out to find that Yukari was fully ready for deployment, having taken care of her bird shadow, who was promptly seated on her shoulder. Junpei, despite his continual stretching, seemed to be ready too.

"I'm glad Igor is less strict," Minato said, "I feel like he definitely wouldn't have let you come before, unless it was magical destiny business."

"Hmm... I don't think I can sympathize. He was adequately agreeable before," Liz defended. Minato knew better than to argue with her now, especially since argument about Igor would last along time. They instead walked back to their companions, Minato drawing her sword in anticipation.

"You two ready?" She asked, spinning her sword in her hand lazily. She had gotten so good at wielding it before that once she held it again and practiced a bit, she was pretty much at the same skill level she ended her first journey at. Yukari nodded curtly.

"You know it!" Junpei agreed, pumping his fist high into the air.

"You sure you want to take the little guy out too?" Minato questioned, pointing to the bird shadow on Yukari's shoulder.

"I couldn't get him off, even if I wanted to. But, I'm sure he'll be fine," Yukari assured. She patted the shadow's head lovingly. Minato smiled.

"Alright, then we're off," She announced, turning to Mitsuru, who in turn nodded along. "Let's head out!" They passed through the narrow entrance in the clock face, Minato immediately deciding against going straight up to where they left off on floor eight and instead opting to tackle it from the bottom. "For now, Elizabeth and Junpei, you take a look around. And, remember, stay together! Yukari and I will take care of shadows and find the stairs while you loot," Minato instructed, the team climbing the stairs that would lead them to the first real floor of Tartarus. As they broke into the brighter, green tinged corridors, Junpei and Elizabeth quickly broke off to take a look around.

"So, where to?" Yukari prompted, bow drawn and preloaded with an arrow.

"Let's go straight for now. Just, follow me."

They went along the eerie hallway, a few tiny shadow blobs screeching and running in terror at the sight of the two. They had already become used to that reaction, as Minato made them defeat so many shadows that they were a lot more powerful than most. Minato chuckled sheepishly at the reminder. That was a bad habit of hers. Over preparation. To be ready for big obstacles, she liked to put her own mind at rest by training everyone so much, she would never find a single doubt cross her mind about it. _Now I feel kinda bad..._ She was suddenly caught off guard by Yukari's firing an arrow, piercing a larger shadow and causing it to take shape. This one was more powerful than the cowardly Mayas they faced previously.

" **Careful! There are three enemies, and they look tough!** " Mitsuru warned, a tad late to the game.

Three Merciless Mayas graced the field, their signature blood red masks glistening in the pale, ominous moonlight.

"Tch," Minato readied her sword at her side, seeing Yukari draw another arrow for her bow. "Valkyrie!" She shot her temple, the fabled duo of horse and rider appearing out of the sea of her soul. "Mabufu!" Minato ordered. Valkyrie let out a war cry, sending a wave of ice to greet their foes. The Mayas were easily knocked over, allowing the opportunity for Minato and Yukari to rush in and finish them. The Mayas tried to fight back and flailed to get back up, but were stopped by Minato's sharp blade slicing clean through their masks one by one. They began to disintegrate, but not before one Maya swung wide and gave Yukari a nasty scratch on the arm. Blood began to seep out of the wound like little bubbles, rising up in small drops before falling to the side.

"Ow...!" Yukari held her shoulder in pain, crying out quietly.

"Caaaww...!" The bird shadow chirped sadly, rubbing against Yukari's neck for support. Minato, seeing this, knew exactly what to do.

"Unicorn!" She summoned, bringing forth the horned equine. "Use Dia!" A minty green light began to swirl around Yukari, and in seconds the wound was lessened, only appearing as a thin scar.

"Thanks, I owe you one," Yukari sighed in relief, relinquishing her grip and grabbing her bow with both hands. Her shadow also flapped it's wings in what seemed to be a thank you, happy for her recovery.

"Don't mention it," Minato nodded, glad to help. She felt a bit winded from that, the skill taking her own stamina to use, but it was nothing compared to some of the spells she'd used.

"I found the stairs!" Junpei's sudden shout interrupted them, grabbing their attention.

"Already?" Yukari asked. They made their way to the other group, finding traces of what appeared to once be shadows as they located the stairs.

"How'd you two get here so fast?" Minato questioned, her battle stance falling. Junpei laughed nervously and pointed to Liz, who seemed rather pleased.

"Miss Shadow Exterminator over here was pretty quick with 'em," Junpei explained, shrugging. "I know you guys said she was powerful, but _man_ , can she really bring the pain! I was kinda gettin' afraid that she'd try to set _me_ on fire too..."

"Oh, please. It was a few simple Maragidynes, that's all," Liz retorted.

"Maraga- what?! I don't even know how to say that, let alone what it is!" Junpei complained, flailing his arms dramatically.

"Then, perhaps we should have left you at the bottom with Mitsuru and Akihiko," Elizabeth suggested scorningly. Junpei scoffed.

"Okay, okay. That's enough, you two," Minato tried to quell the growing argument, making peaceful gestures with her hands. "If you won't get along, we'll leave." The two were surprised by this and, turning to look at eachother, they seemed to come to a sort of understanding and kept quiet. "Thank you. Now, come on." They started up the stairs when a loud screech cut them off.

"CAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!" It cried, shaking the building with it's booming volume. A shadowy creature raced by a window to their left, the distinct shape of something with wings present once more as the creature zoomed by again.

"What the heck is that?!" Junpei exclaimed, jumping back in surprise and nearly falling down the stairs. The building shook as the force of an impact hit it, sending everyone off balance.

"I don't know, but it isn't friendly!" Yukari screamed, raising her voice over the predatorial caws and readying an arrow in her already drawn bow. Another tremor shook the tower, this time accompanied by a crack in the wall beside them.

"Everyone, move!" Minato hollered, legs moving as fast as possible up the steps. The others followed suit, quickly joining their leader in her ascent. Yukari's shadow held on for dear life amidst all the chaos, cooing timidly. Junpei lagged behind a bit, off put by the violent shaking and losing trust by the second. With one final scream, a hole in the wall burst open.

"Whoa!" Minato slipped, turning around instinctively to see the damage. A massive hole in the wall had been formed, the SEES members and Liz stopping dead in their tracks to watch in horror and curiosity. Slowly, a large bird head was made apparent, easily twice the size of a bear and wearing a flashy red and orange mask. It poked in from the hole it generated, staring at the humans before it.

"CCCCAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!" It blasted, turning it's attention to the one member who was lagging behind the group. Junpei fidgeted nervously under it's gaze. The bird drew it's head back, thankfully, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief. That is, until a taloned toe popped in, slowly exposing a whole, highly dangerous foot. It reached out and, just like that, snatched up Junpei.

"H-hey! Put me down!" Junpei banged his fists against the shadowy flesh of the bird, but was met with another sharp screech as he was pulled out of the hole. AhhhhhhhHHHHHHH! HELPPP!"

"Junpei!" Minato called. She rushed down to the hole, immediately poking her head out the other side. What she saw was a huge bird, tall as skyscrapers and wide as a ship, carrying Junpei into the night in it's talons.

Shoot! Dang it Junpei!

" **Iori!** " Mitsuru's startled cry pierced their minds simultaneously.

"This is why we need to make fun of him more," Yukari grumbled, doing a facepalm and shaking her head.

"Elizabeth!" Minato turned to Liz, beginning to panic just a little bit.

"Hmm?" The girl was spaced out, staring out into the vast, shadowed green sky. Her eyes were transfixed on a certain area, a couple buildings in the distance, and she didn't seem to want to let them out of her sight.

"Can you find where it went? Or, where Junpei is?" Minato asked fervently, expectantly watching for her response.

"It's nest is that building over there. We only need to reach it..." Liz explained, trailing off to mumble to herself. "How would we reach it...?" She didn't realize she was still talking aloud, did she? Minato already had a solution to their problem, however. She opened her clenched fist, gathering a simple light between her fingers that formed a tarot card. Upon flipping it over, it was revealed to be Orpheus Telos. Minato closed her eyes and concentrated her energy into the card before allowing her fingers to close around it. Yukari watched the whole time, very confused and very much in awe.

"Orpheus Telos...!" A shatter split the air, the card crumbling between Minato's fingers and swirling around her instead. A shape began to form around her, her very own ultimate persona taking shape behind her. This time, a clack of steel on tile was also prevalent, Orpheus Telos actually _standing_ on the ground. Minato turned and reached out, touching the cold metal body of her persona. She smirked, heart beginning to calm down a bit.

"Elizabeth, Yukari!"

"Yes?" They both asked, still at a loss for words.

"Find Mitsuru and Akihiko and stay with them. I'll handle the bird."

"Huh? But, how are you-?" Yukari started, Elizabeth cutting her off.

"Come," Liz prompted, grabbing her arm to drag her away. Minato nodded thanks.

"Come on, Telos," She drew the persona to the hole, watching the building where Elizabeth said the beast made it's nest. She went behind Orpheus Telos and jumped, wrapping her arms around it's neck. "Let's go." With that, Orpheus Telos sprang into the air, clearing up twenty Tartarus floors from the outside with ease. It certainly couldn't fly, but Orpheus Telos was an excellent jumper. It leapt from platform to platform, building to building, springing forth with speed and grace. They soon made it to the top of the nest, a shocking scene sprawled out before them. Bones, still coated with chunks of flesh, made up a large, makeshift bird nest. Inside, Junpei sat, looking like a frightened animal as he huddled in the bone pile. The bird stood before the nest, wings tucked away for the time being, as if waiting for someone to come and challenge it.

"CCCCAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!" It bellowed, shifting around a bit. Minato, steeling herself, allowed Orpheus Telos to come plummeting down, landing with a distinct "shreeee" as it skidded forward with momentum. The bird snapped around, fixating Minato and Telos with a heated red stare. It's eyes bore right through them, Minato clenching her fists to fight back the minor shaking that was starting up.

"You pick on my friend and you pay for it!" Minato taunted, taking a daring step forward in challenge. Orpheus Telos disappeared with a flash, it's purpose fulfilled. Minato opened her hand once more, summoning another tarot card. It bore the symbol of death, and a familiar young boy appeared at Minato's side. "Pharos... Can you lend me your strength?"

"Why, of course," Pharos murmured calmly, tapping the card to be sucked in with a small flash of light. Minato smiled again. Energy gathering around the card, she curled her fingers slowly and methodically.

"Thanatos... Come forth!" A bright light illuminated the nest, a radiant blue glow overtaking the whole scene for a few moments. A dark figure took shape behind Minato, a long, thin sword appearing in it's hand. It slowly, slowly lifted it's head to pierce the bird with it's merciless stare. Thanatos, the greek god of death, stood there in all it's glory, menacingly staring the bird shadow down. A sword appeared in Minato's hand as well, mirroring the deadly blade her persona wielded with perfect accuracy. Her inhibitions forgotten, Minato sprang forth, Thanatos at her side as they became temporarily airborne. Afloat for only a few moments, they suddenly became as fast as lightning and as powerful as Nyx herself, effortlessly flying forward many feet with one step and both taking a shot at one of the bird's legs, effectively knocking it down.

" **Arisato!** " Mitsuru's scream speared her head painfully, rattling her concentration. " **Arisato! Answer me!** " Minato bit her lip in frustration, turning smoothly to face the shadow once again.

"Not now Mitsuru. I need to concentrate." Without even waiting for so much as an "Okay", Minato had already resynchronized with Thanatos, springing back into the air to avoid a harsh, powerful sweep of the bird's wing. Even knocked down, it seemed it was still fighting back. Minato's mind was coated in thick fog, thought obscured and pushed aside. It was a zen-like state that was difficult to interrupt, let alone break. They landed, dashing forward to score the shadow's exposed back with slashes and gouges, each performed by a flick of the wrist and obviously very painful to the bird.

Throwing it's head back, it howled, " CCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!" The ear-bleeding volume didn't even faze Minato, who had stepped back along with Thanatos. All Minato could hear was static, never ending static that failed to permeate the calm state they both were currently in. It was like a trance, a trance that wasn't broken until the enemy was ended.

Permanently.

Minato couldn't force down a crude, maniacal grin, preparing for another attack when, without warning, the door on the building flew open, exposing the other members of SEES in an absolute frenzy, along with Elizabeth, who looked mildly concerned. Breathless, they faced their martyr in a varied mix of emotions. Eventually, those expressions all shifted to one of surprise.

"Minato!" Yukari gasped, still slightly winded. Minato didn't spare her a second glace, instead dodging another attack from the bird, narrowly evading it's gnarled beak.

"Arisato... You... You changed back...!"

Minato froze, eyes moving to confirm what had just been said. Mitsuru nodded, shaken. Minato looked down for the first time since that morning and, what Minato saw was impossible.

Impossible, and a miracle.

He was back! Back to normal! But, how though? How had he miraculously changed back...?

"CCCCCAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" The merciless screer of the bird broke his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. They were all in danger. He had to protect them. Minato sifted the concerned voices of his friends from his ears, focusing only on the shadow at hand, and the presence of his persona by his side. They resynched, leaping in the same heartbeat. A newfound power coursed through them this time, a blue light emanating from Minato's twisted, cold gray eyes. He felt a strength unparalleled flow through him, a river of pure energy surging chaotically. Like a rhapsody, unbridled and without stops put in place, it ran rampant to it's heart's content. Minato and Thanatos, plummeting back from the sky, sliced the wings of the bird shadow clean off, dark miasma streaming in thin puffs from the wounds. "CCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" The shadow cried in pain and rage, legs buckling beneath it to ground it. It's head dipped a bit, shadowing the once triumphant red eyes of the avian and instead conveying deep fear and powerlessness. Minato strolled up to it, unfazed in all the anarchy, and held the pointed edge of the sword towards the bird's mask, threatening to slice it clean off. Thanatos backed him on this, following suit and doing the same on the opposite side. Minato could vaguely hear the voices of his companions as Junpei's was placed back among their ranks.

"... Thank goodness...!"

"... That was a close one..."

"... Hold me...!"

The energy stopped dead in it's tracks at that very moment. His concentration shattered, abandoning his position to turn and view the scene for himself. Junpei was a little roughed up, but seemed otherwise fine. He was bawling like a baby, though, and Yukari looked pretty emotional too. Her shadow friend was cawking in a fashion similar to laughing, with Elizabeth petting it lovingly. Mitsuru shook her head, a well meaning smile hidden on her face before she turned to face Minato. Even Akihiko was there, giving a few friendly pats to Junpei on the back in what comfort he could offer.

"Everyone..." He breathed. The sound of his voice, _his very own voice_ , startled him for a moment before he adjusted. Having a higher pitched voice had become the norm, but his voice was always his and always welcome. All attention turned to his friends, Minato took a tentative step towards them, encouraged by Mitsuru's welcoming smile. However, in his blunder, he forgot where he was exactly, giving the bird shadow the chance to act.

"CCCCccccccAAAAAAAAAAaaaWWWWWWWWwww...!" It wheezed forcefully, a tempest brewing around it and forcing Minato and Thanatos away. It dug it's razor-sharp talons into the building, a new pair of wings sprouting up from the empty twin abysses bore into it's sides. Not sparing a moment, it took flight and used the brief few seconds of the opening to leave altogether.

"Not so fast..." Pharos's voice echoed. Thanatos leapt high into the air, catching up with the fleeing bird in a matter of moments. Drawing it's sword, it sliced down the middle of the shadow, cutting it clean in two. Minato watched this, a twinge of fear crossing his heart while Thanatos landed. The shadow began convulsing midair, it's body dissipating into a thick, heavy black fog tinted with shades of scarlet and crimson. The mist floated it's way down to Yukari's shoulder and directly into her bird shadow's mouth. Thanatos bowed it's head a bit, Minato could swear he saw a smirk in it's body language, and disappeared as well.

"Minato!" Yukari called.

"Arisato..."

"Hey, get over here!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Minato smiled, just the tiniest bit, but soon pushed it aside. He went over to his friends, calm as ever.

"Minato!" Elizabeth ran up and hugged him, a fair bit too tightly, he might add, and beamed.

"What were you thinking?!" Mitsuru started in. It was just like her to do something like that. He broke from Liz for a moment to answer Mitsuru.

"I wanted to save Junpei..."

"Alone? Are you suicidal?!"

"..." Minato couldn't respond to that. He wasn't, yet he knew he'd be lying if he said that. After all, he did give himself up for them, willingly to boot. Mitsuru let out a tired sigh.

"Don't do that again, all right?" Minato nodded.

"Hey man, what _was_ that back there? And, how did you change back?" Junpei meekly popped in still shaken. Minato froze. Oh no, they saw... How was he going to explain this one?

"I'm... not sure. I just wanted to save you, Junpei, and..." He trailed off.

"Umm, guys? The little guy kinda... grew," Yukari interrupted, pointing to her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Minato eyed the shadow still perched on her shoulder. He was definitely bigger. Not a ton bigger, but very noticeably bigger all the same.

"What does this mean?" Akihiko asked, turning to Minato. He pondered that question for a bit.

"I think it means he'll grow more in the future. We can't be certain how it will affect his nature, but I think it's safe to say he'll most likely be fine."

"Riiii..." The baby bird chirruped.

"Huh?"

"Uuukari...!" It buzzed again. Did it just... speak?!

"Whoa! Did that thing just talk?!" Junpei blurted.

"How facinating..." At least Liz didn't say interesting, or she'd be as bad as Akihiko. "A shadow with the capacity to think and love... This is indeed very rare."

"Rare? It's happened before?" Yukari pressed. She looked concerned, eyes wide with a saddened anxiety. Elizabeth didn't respond.

"Elizabeth? Is this true?" Mitsuru joined in.

"... Yes, it has happened before," She confirmed. "Well... Not _before_ , as in past tense, but I have seen this once in my past." She can't mean... In the future?!

"Y-you mean...?" Minato weakly let her catch his drift, raising an eyebrow in an expression he couldn't quite name. Liz nodded, a light smile gracing her face. She got a distant look in her eyes.

"This shadow I met... They could speak fluently and actually became a persona user, going so far as to grow it's own human body in the process." Liz sighed. "Teddie bear..." She mumbled, dejected.

"Do you think it'll happen to Tsu, too?"

"Tsu?" Minato asked.

"Who the heck is 'Tsu'?" Junpei added.

"Err... We can't just keep calling him 'little guy', so I thought of Tsu, as in Tsuki," Yukari explained, shyly itching her cheek to preserve her nerve.

"Fitting," Minato smiled reassuringly. Yukari sent him a weak grin in response. It was strange, but the group dynamic was as explosive as ever, even with all the passive aggressive banter. It was good to be back.

"So... What now?" Junpei continued, oblivious.

"I suppose we should return to Tartarus, don't you think?" Mitsuru turned to Minato, looking to him for an answer.

"I suppose, if Junpei's feeling up to it."

"Huh?! Er... I dunno, guys... I still feel kinda weak..." Junpei began to slump and shuffle wimpily about.

"Oh, cut it out! Not everything's about you, you know!"

"Oh, so everything's about _you_ now?"

"I didn't say that, you idiot!"

They, after a long and heated debate between Yukari and Junpei, made their way back to Tartarus on foot. It was eerily quiet. Coffins littered the streets like trash, obscuring the path of those that had to deal with them. Yukari and Junpei were as far from eachother as they could be, arms crossed and sending eachother glares every now and again. Of course, for no real reason, Liz was clinging to Minato's arm, humming without a care.

"So, how did you guys get to me so fast?" Minato asked, breaking the silence. Mitsuru instinctively looked to the velvet room attendant currently latched to Minato's free arm.

"Your friend... She brought us there," Mitsuru answered. She seemed confused...

"How?"

"She... Well, one second we were in Tartarus, the next minute she was sprinting down the stairs with Takeba. She explained in rough detail what was going on, which is when I contacted you earlier. However, when you refused to answer, she insisted we go to assist you. She did something and... we appeared in the building. We only needed to climb the staircase from there," Mitsuru elaborated further. Elizabeth did something? What did she do?

"You are curious as to what exactly I did, are you not?" Liz poked, grinning. Minato and Mitsuru nodded. "It was teleportation, simple as that."

"Teleportation? Since when have you been able to teleport?!" Minato demanded, shaken by the new information.

"Hmm... Forever, I believe."

What. Minato couldn't find the nerve to force any words out, his disbelieving jaw already dragging on the ground. Liz giggled. "Did I really never tell you?"

"Uh, no?!"

"Oh... I apologize for that, then." She really was impossible... and amazing. But, mostly impossible.

"You sure have some strange friends, huh?" Yukari chimed in. Minato chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." They grew closer and closer to the school, Mitsuru's expression growing more worried by the second. "What's wrong?" Minato asked. Mitsuru looked to the sky.

"I believe we have only a short while until the hour is up. Shall we head back? It's been a long night," Mitsuru suggested helpfully. Minato nodded. _In that case..._

"Yeah. Everyone, let's head back! We deserve a good rest after that!" He announced to the others, raising his voice to reach their ears. He still didn't know why he'd changed back, but perhaps it had something to do with Pharos, or his personas. He wasn't yet sure. They dragged themselves back to the dorm, Ikutsuki congratulating them on another job well done. Minato couldn't bother to investigate the exchange Yukari and Mitsuru were having as everyone else shuffled tiredly to their respective rooms. Changing into some comfy pajamas and lending Liz some of the pajamas Yukari lent him, he let Elizabeth use his bed while he slept on the floor under a soft blanket. The sturdy floor didn't dissuade sleep, oddly enough, and the extended use of his personas in that way finally began to weigh down on Minato, falling further and further into slumber.


	11. Changing Worries

**Took awhile, but chapter eleven is finally here! There's lots of real life stuff, and Theo is introduced to Minato~ Enjoy ^^**

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April Twenty Sixth, 2009 (Present)

Next full moon in: 13 days

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The morning air was still on this particular day, Minato bustling in silence as he struggled to figure out why he'd changed back. With a plethora of chores too boot, he performed said tasks as quietly as he could. After all, Elizabeth had crashed in his room the night before. He knew Igor wouldn't be worried, since he seemed to trust her all by herself. This was probably way more comforting than how things were before. Minato's arm throbbed as he continued to scrub a mysterious stain off the wall of the bathroom. He had no idea what had gotten on there, but he decided that he'd probably ignored it last time since he had no recollection of said stain. He paused for a brief break, stretching his arm. _With Thanatos, I lost all inhibition. Perhaps that's the key. Maybe, the way to change back is with forgetting my situation completely._ He was so unsure. With all the insane, unexplainable occurrences happening in his life as of late, his usual down to earth attitude had been blown sky-high and quickly left behind.

A stab of hunger made him lurch forward a bit, nearly resting his prized hair on the stain and cleaning product littering the wall. It was 5:00 in the morning on a sunday, after all. Finally giving in to temptation, Minato gathered his cleaning supplies and made his mess disappear. After hiding away his secret stash of cleaners, he tip-toed down to the kitchen. Once there, he scanned the room for something that piqued his interest to eat. That's when he spotted the box of donuts he bought for Junpei, as part of their deal. He paid for them, didn't he? He at least deserved one. Besides, Junpei owed him for last night. Sliding the box off the counter and opening it up, he peeked curiously at it's contents. There was only one pastry remaining; a round chocolate donut. Minato glanced around to make sure Junpei didn't rig the box with some sort of trap. He _did_ put a "do not touch" note on the front. Not seeing any strange activity, he pulled the chocolate donut out of the box, closed it and slid it back into place with ease. He bit into the confection, savoring the overly sugary explosion in his mouth that was accompanied by the taste of fried bread. Life was looking up.

Minato settled on heading back to his room, careful not to eat too carelessly on his way. Scooting inside, he slowly, slowly closed the door. Liz's heavy breathing made his attempts practically futile though.

Once inside, he made his way to the laptop at his desk. He logged in, getting onto Innocent Sin Online to see if "Maya" was on. Much to his surprise, she actually was, and he went over to greet her. She seemed in high spirits, despite her griping about how she woke up super early due to habit. Minato couldn't blame her; he'd done the same. While he typed away at his keyboard, Minato was oblivious to the rustle of Elizabeth slowly awakening, tossing and turning on his bed.

She blinked open her eyes, looking around for Minato. She found him sitting at his desk, typing something on his computer as he let out the occasional chuckle. Elizabeth grinned. Even in her bleary state, she managed to brew up a plan to get the jump on Minato. Liz gently tugged the covers off of her, using her powers to float lightly before her feet touched the ground. This way, they would be quieter. Creeping sluggishly, she drew nearer to his back. Once she got in range, she gathered a significantly weak spark of electricity, a spell even weaker than a typical Zio. Liz proceeded to tap Minato on the shoulder with her charged hand, making him jump in surprise and as a response to the minor shock he just experienced.

"E-elizabeth...!" He gripped his right shoulder, turning to hit the ruler of power with a no-nonsense scowl. Elizabeth giggled in delight.

"Forgive me, the opportunity was simply irresistible," Elizabeth rested a hand on his other shoulder, peering around to see what he was up to. "What's this?"

"It's an MMORPG," Minato told her, typing up a message. Maya was still active and as chatty as ever. Minato thanked his swift typing skills.

"Ah, is this the site called 'Innocent Sin Online' that you told me of?" Liz inquired.

"Yep. I'm talking to a friend of mine, actually. Online, her name is Maya," Minato confirmed, nodding. He smiled. Maya was his teacher, which was actually rather amusing. Seeing a completely different side of his usually snappy teacher made her feel like more of a nice and enjoyable person to be around. Of course, "Tatsuya" would never admit that.

"Hermit, correct?" Minato nodded. "Ah, I see..." Liz murmured, intrigued. Maya ended up saying goodbye rather quickly, which left Elizabeth and Minato to their own devices before any of the other SEES members awoke.

"So, what do you want to do?" Minato asked, sitting with his legs crossed on his blanket on the floor.

"Perhaps we could venture out to Paulownia Mall? No, we did that yesterday... Then, we could get lunch at the strip mall," Liz suggested.

"I'm not too sure... How about we wander around town a bit? Maybe we'll find someplace new to go to."

"That sounds wonderful. When will we be off?"

The two quickly assembled their wardrobes, cleaning up while waking up some of the other dorm inhabitants during their activity. Looking at the time, it was around 6:40 when they finally left, setting out to find a new place to enjoy themselves at.

"Let's go this way instead," Minato prompted. He pointed in the opposite direction of Paulownia Mall, further into the suburb and housing area of Tatsumi Port Island. The streets were populated with houses, large and small, each a bit different from the last. The spring air swished around them, carrying the whispers of distant voices and plant debris that whispered with them. The sunlight was harsh, yet welcoming, inviting Minato and Elizabeth to explore further.

"It's a lovely day out, isn't it?" Liz pondered, watching the sky thoughtfully. Minato nodded, following her gaze.

"Yeah..." The flowering plants, the cheery sunshine and the gentle chatter of the world was indeed gorgeous. Minato took a moment to soak it all in. A couple were walking their dog on the opposite side of the street, some friends were gossiping amongst themselves up ahead and two people were complaining about how difficult art was behind them. Liz paced alongside him, keeping up with his brisk gait and still in awe of the nature at work around her.

"I don't believe I was able to visit your world this early last time," She remarked. "It's even more entrancing than I recall."

"Yeah, It's really pretty in the spring. The cherry blossoms really sell it, you know?" Minato reached for Elizabeth's hand, quickly finding it and grasping it with a soft squeeze. Liz faced him curiously. But her expression quickly shifted to content. They walked around a bit, pointing out strange house colors and making fun of the interesting decor they were adorned with. Their giggles filled the street, a moment of serene peace falling over the two. After everything, Minato felt it was justified. After a bit, Elizabeth insisted that they check in with Igor, just to make sure he wasn't completely balding himself. So, they walked to Paulownia Mall and to the velvet room tucked away in a spare hallway. Minato reached the sleek black car door, firmly grasping the handle and pulling the door open.

"Thank you," Elizabeth nodded, pleased. Minato followed her in, closing the door behind him. As they stepped in, they found Igor watching them promiscuously from his table. Margaret was no where in sight, and in her place sat a man who bore a striking resemblance to the two sisters Minato had come to know.

"Welcome back young man, Elizabeth. Did you enjoy yourselves?" Igor impishly implied. Minato half felt like smacking him, just for the heck of it. _Igor, I swear... One of these days, I'll definitely invoke the infamous death by Pixie upon you. With the help of Liz, of course._ Minato let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Yes, Igor. She destroyed some shadows and told me for the first time that she can teleport," Minato deadpanned. Igor, although helpful and wise, had his downright stupid moments too. "Anything else you'd care to know?"

"Oh, no, nothing in particular..." Igor grinned even wider. Minato found himself grinding his teeth in contempt and his right eyelid twitched involuntarily. "I see you have returned to normal," He continued.

"Yeah, it happened last night."

"... Last night?" Igor innocently asked. The burning fury inside of Minato at that exact moment could never be summed into words alone. He clenched his hands into fists, willing strongly for Thanatos to appear and _decimate_ the trickster before him. Thankfully, and much to his chagrin, Thanatos didn't come. Igor chuckled heartily. "Congratulations on that. I expect you will remain this way from now on?"

"I'm not sure..." Minato admitted, casting his gaze down. Liz leapt onto his back.

"It will be fine! I'm sure the constructs are stable enough."

"Err... May I... introduce myself?" The mystery man spoke up, raising his hand like a student posing his teacher with a question. His short silver hair glistened like fresh snow, the effect only lessened by Minato and Liz's shadows. He had the same bright golden eyes as the velvet sisters, so Minato assumed that he was the brother Liz had mentioned before. That, along with his navy blue attire.

"Ah, yes. I was so carried away, I forgot to introduce my company. This is Theodore, younger brother of Elizabeth and Margaret. He is currently assisting me while Margaret is running errands," Igor explained, still composed. Theodore smiled warmly at the two, gaze transfixed on his sister Elizabeth.

"Hello sister. How nice it is to see you once again," He politely greeted, bowing his head in respect. Liz didn't seem too flattered.

"It's good to see you too, Theo. I will admit, I did miss you just a bit," Liz looked disinterested, but her disposition turned friendlier with her last sentence. Theo grinned wider.

"I am relieved to see you unharmed. I know your journey was a difficult one."

"Yes, but I'm perfectly fine, as you can clearly see." She turned to Minato. "This is my younger brother, Theodore. I understand that's quite long, so feel free to call him Theo for short."

"But my name is shorter than yours..." Theodore mumbled.

"Don't worry. I call her Liz sometimes, but it gets her real fired up," Minato chuckled. The room suddenly turned cold. Minato turned slowly to his right, towards the otherworldly being fuming beside him. Frost coated her hands, her usual bright and curious eyes turning malicious. Theo visibly flinched and whimpered, cowering with his hands drawn over his head. Minato, shoving away his growing fear, swallowed hard. "Lizabeth? Lizzie? Eli?" Minato tested, hands up and ready to absorb whatever blow she was about to deal. Her eyes turned away and her voice was low.

She spoke, "Don't call me those atrocious names. Liz is far more tolerable than the others, so I suppose I can accept that one." Minato heaved a relieved breath, unaware of his paused breathing until the tension drained from the room. He was glad that was over. Now, he had permission to call her Liz whenever he wanted! Oh yeah! Theo looked absolutely mortified, bundled into a tight ball in the furthest corner he could reach.

"Are... you okay?" Minato raised a concerned eyebrow at the petrified velvet attendant. Why was he so afraid of Elizabeth? Was it because of her insane power, or due to her tendency to abuse the males around her? Perhaps it was her violent nature... Either way, he was scared silly.

"I-I'm... f-f-f-fine," he sputtered. He was actually trembling with fear, his fingers twitching. Liz sighed.

"Are you going to sit like that all day?" She mockingly interrogated. Theo gulped audibly, took a deep breath, and let his body relax. Of course, he still instinctively shrunk back under Elizabeth's harsh gaze.

"My apologies, you startled me is all. Accompanying you to the human realm and making discoveries for myself sounds most exciting. If you don't mind, may I 'tag along'?" The hope and innocence in his eyes was purer than the shine in most children. Were all the siblings like this? Elizabeth was further accustomed to the harshness of the world, with Margaret being the most comfortable and easy to talk to. But, Theodore seemed like Elizabeth had been when they had first met; wide-eyed and full of curiosity. Minato smiled lovingly.

"Of course y-"

"Absolutely not!" Elizabeth retorted. Minato blinked in surprise. Theo flinched.

"Why not?" Minato questioned. What was the big deal?

"He knows nothing of the human realm! Theo would only serve to drag us down," Liz rationalized. Minato suspected that it was something more than just that. Liz seemed to have a dislike for her pushover brother, which Minato didn't understand.

"Doesn't that mean me should educate him? He doesn't seem to be doing much right now anyway, so why not let him join us? Besides, we _were_ looking for a new experience." Elizabeth groaned and rested her face in her hands, rubbing her temples.

"Oh, fine," She succumbed to Minato's reasoning, resigning her outright denial. For now, at least. "You'd better not cause any mischief, all right?" Theo nodded earnestly.

"It appears as though you have reached a verdict. Theodore, I wish you luck," Igor verified graciously. "Have a good time now." Igor saw them off, waving as they left. Minato stretched and sighed. It was nice to get out of such a cramped space. His stiffness stretched away, he walked alongside his companions for the day.

"So, where do you want to go?" Minato prompted Theodore. He thought for a moment.

"How about the arcade? Or, perhaps karaoke?" Liz suggested. She continued on with her rambling, listing off various places in the mall, including the police station and cafe.

"This "cafe" sounds tranquil and reserved. Perhaps that is a good place to start," Theo decided.

"Then, we're off!" The three ventured all of short, brisk walk through the mall and up some stairs to find themselves at the entrance to the cafe. Theo seemed nervous and uneager to go any further. His hand was paused just at the handle of the door, trembling just a tad. Minato patted him o the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. It'll be fine, I promise," Minato soothed reassuringly. This seemed to embolden Theodore and he finally opened the door, allowing them entrance.

"Congratulations, little brother. This is the first step for you on becoming acquainted with this world. Remember it well." Theo nodded eagerly.

"I will, I promise!" They entered as discretely as they could with Liz practically dragging her brother by the ear and Theo awestruck. Soon, they found a seat and settled in. Having the two of them here was like watching toddlers. Liz wouldn't let Theo touch anything and would scold him of he so much as glanced at another person. Theo, on the other hand, was in what he probably considered paradise from the looks of it. He was gasping and remarking and giddily pointing to things while asking questions about them. Minato couldn't help but laugh. Not a small chuckle, but a loud intonation.

"What are you laughing at?" Liz tilted her head, confused. He just laughed more, pouring his heart into the noise as he met her mystified gaze. She was so confused, and he loved every single second of it.

"Sorry, it's just... You two are hilarious!" He choked out, still giggling with a hand clamped over his mouth. A strange feeling crept over him as he saw Liz pouting and Theo looking between them both with a lost expression. It was like a tingle, darting down his back and creeping up into his arms. It followed all the way to his finger tips, which awoke some mild concern in Minato, but he was too busy laughing to really care. It disappeared, only to reappear in his legs, following still all the way to his toes. Then, his stomach was afflicted. Liz's eyes finally met his and widened. At this point, his whole torso was tingly, but it then decided to make it's way up his neck, the inside of his throat buzzing with the sparky feeling.

"Minato, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked. What did she mean? This stopped Minato's laughter for a minute, stealing the attention away to focus on Liz's question.

"What do you mean?" Minato spoke, but he noted that something was... off. Not just off, something was very wrong! Minato looked at the hand that was muffling laughter a few moments ago. Same, yet different. It looked about the same as always, all the way to Minato's slightly peeled skin, but there were tiny differences Minato couldn't seem to name or spot. All Minato knew was that something wasn't quite right. Wait a second. A chilling thought crossed Minato's mind. Turning to look down, Minato was met with the sight of a definite female body.

What?! How? Why? All she could muster was a frozen face of both horror and shock at Elizabeth, to which she nodded fiercely. Welp, this situation just took a nosedive into weird territory.

"Okay then," Minato shrugged. The change in her voice registered now, the change presumably complete. "Well... My life sucks." She deadpanned, resting her face on her hand. Of course this happened. Why wouldn't it? Why [i]shouldn't[/i] it, really? Her life really seemed to enjoy causing her physical, emotional and mental pain for some strange reason. Theo stared at her with bugeyes, but Liz looked empathetic and... saddened.

"Are you alright?" She asked sweetly, concerned for Minato. Minato mumbled something about how everything was awful, but, meeting Elizabeth's concerned golden eyes, she stopped.

"I'm fine," She spoke up, expression stiff and motionless. She knew she wasn't, and she knew Liz knew she wasn't either, but her natural response was hard denial. Even still, it was a habit she still seemed to drag along with her, despite her maturity and friendship. She looked out the window to her left, seeing the passersby exchange idle chatter and riveting conversations. Or, rather, chatter that sure looked useless and conversations that Minato was sure were much more interesting than the predicament she found herself in. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking, though. She couldn't be sure.

"Is this... ordinary?" Theo was completely lost, swept away from a lack of prior knowledge into the land of awkward explanations.

"Kinda? Sorta... Not really," Minato shrugged. What could she say?

She was horrible with explaining things when they ventured into the awkward area.

"This is a side effect of the constructs' inability to change shape alongside the past," Liz explained, shaking her head. "I'm afraid that pins all blame on me."

"No! _I_ messed with the past. It's my fault," Minato frowned.

"You had no control over that, Minato." Minato sighed. Theo watched them butt heads, looking deeply... intrigued? Fearful? In awe? She wasn't sure. The rest of the trip floated by calmly, Minato ordering some coffee while Liz and Theo got some fizzy sodas. Theo is relaxing company, as it turns out, when his sister isn't around to harp on him. Soon, Minato found themselves parting ways, waving farewell as she left back to the dorms and they made way for the velvet room. As Minato walked into the cool dorm, she was greeted by a loud sneeze. Immediately, iridescent glitter flew into the air. What the?

"Oh, hey Minato," Junpei sniffed. His nose sounded plugged and he looked sickly. "Welcome home or whatever." Minato nodded in greeting.

"What's up with the glitter?" Minato asked, pointing to the expanse of glittering material on the floor. Junpei just shrugged.

"I dunno. I just started sneezin' the stuff up all of a sudden," He explained, looking to his shining hands which were coated with a thin layer of glitter.

"Oh... Okay," Minato nodded, a bit surprised. "I'll be upstairs. Bye." Junpei waved at her.

"See ya."

Weird.

Minato closed her bedroom door and sprawled almost instantly on her bed, watching the ceiling. She had changed back. That meant the phenomenon was more than just a one time occurrence. Drowsy, sleep pulled at her eyelids. Minato gave in, allowing herself to become entangled in it's soothing embrace. Her final thoughts were of changing back into a guy as she drifted off into the unconsciousness.


	12. Chapter 12 Preview

**Well, since it's taking a bit, here is a short preview for chapter twelve! Hope you enjoy! :3**

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April Twenty Seventh, 2009 (?)

Next full moon in: 12 days

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It was peaceful. Grass waved in the gentle breeze, the sun was warm and welcoming on Minato's skin. It didn't occur to him to look around and admire anything but the glowing planet from his position on the ground, hands behind his head. He felt calm serenity, but suddenly, the sky darkened. The wind began to whip and howl, the sunlight leaving as clouds overtook the expansive sky space. He watched in horror as another circular shape began to show itself, shining past the cloud barrier. The clouds parted reluctantly, leaving a starless night sky in their wake. A full moon, sickly green and oddly misshapen, greeted him while rain began to plummet from the dark clouds. However, when he looked to his hands, which were being pelted with said rain, he found it a red color. A musty, metallic scent filled the air. He looked back up to the moon for answers, only for a shape to begin forming as a pattern on it. It was certainly humanoid, yet very much inhumane. The body slumped forward menacingly, it's face replaced with a bird-like mask of sorts.

 _Thanatos...!_


End file.
